
Copyright N°_^__7 






COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



', Lt»H»RY it CONGRESS 
Two Cosies Recalvad 

AU6 26 190/' 

. CBPynfW Eirtry 

c^AssK ixc, No. 
IS 



COPY B. 



Copyright, 1907, 
By Jamzs H. Stake. 



,2.1 

.61^ 



CONTENTS, 



Aborigines, .... 

Almshouse in Boston, - . - 

Beacon Hill, - - 
Birthplace of General Knox, 
" Benj. Franklin, 

Boston Harbor, Discovery of 

" First Authentic Discovery of 

" Settlement of - 

" First Settler in - 

" Early Appearance of 

" Lincolnshire, England, 

" Town Records, 

" Views of 138, 162, 170, 175, 196, 

" and its Environs, 

" Lighthouse, 
Bostonians Paying the Exciseman, 
Bonner's Map of Boston, 
Brattle Street Church, - 
Bunker Hill, Battle of 

" " Plan of the Action at 

Cambridge Common, ... 
Carwitham View of Boston, • 

Castle, 

Charter, First Massachusetts 
Christs Church, .... 
Charles River Bridge, . . - 
Common, View from Boston 
College, Massachusetts Medical - 

Dalton Mansion, ... 

Exchange Coffee House, 

Faneuil Hall, .... 
Feather Store, . . . - 
Federal Street Church, 
" " Cathedral, 

" " Theatre, 

First Massachusetts Charter, 
" Paper Money, ... 
" Church, .... 



18 


First Railroads of Boston, 


. 




365 


338 


Fortifications on Boston Neck, 




262 




Frankland House, 


. 




58 


"S 


Franklin, Birthplace of 


. 




93 


280 


Fire, Great Boston 


. 




378 


93 


" Old State House 


. 




374 


9 
10 
II 


" Department, 


- 




369 


Gage, General Thomas 


. 




225 


17 


Green, Samuel, A. Letter 


- 






21 


Green Dragon Tavern, 


- 




106 


27 
31 


Hancock House, 


. 


. 


no 


293 


Harbor, Boston, Perspective View of 


202 


255 


Harvard, John, - 


- 


- 


123 


276 


Harvard University, 


- 


. 


127 


>95 


Hollis Street Church, - 


. 


. 


325 


47 


House of Industry and House of 




326 


Correction, 


- 




337 


242 


Hutchinson House, 


- 




S3 


25s 


Joy Building, 


. 




116 


128 


Julien's Restorator, 


- 




75 


138 










186 


King's Chapel, 


- 




299 


50 


Knox, Birthplace of 


• 




280 


312 
344 


Lamb Map, 


. 




3f 


180 


Lamb Tavern, 


- 




76 


352 


Landing a Bishop, 


- 




«9S 




Lexington and Concord, Four Draw- 




64 


ings of - 


- 


- 


239 




Liberty Tree, 


- 


- 


212 


119 


Lighthouse, Boston 


- 


- 


276 


100 


Massacre, State St., 


. 


• 


207 


70 


Massachusetts Medical College, 




352 


304 


" Charter, First 


• 


50 


329 


Minot House, 


• 


• 


«S7 


358 


Mystic River Bridge, - 


• 


• 


343 


5° 
137 


New South Church, Church Greeo 


316 


294 


New England Primer, 


■ 


■ 


99 



CON-TENTS. 



Neck, Forhncations, on Boston - 262 

Neck, Plan of Dorchester - - 272 

North Battery, - - - . 190 

NLx's Mate Island, - - - 185 

Old Elm, 176 

" House in Trince Street, - 69 

" Feather Store, ... yo 

" South Church, - - - 308 

" Scollay Building, - - 347 

" Court House and City Hall, ■ 357 

Perspective view of Boston Harbor, 202 

Plan of Dorchester Neck, - 272 

" the Action at Bunker Hill, 255 

Province House, - - - - 221 

Primer, New England - - - 99 

Pierce House, - - - - 158 

Quincy Market. .... 362 

Revere View of Boston, - - 196 

" Paul, - - . - 217 

Riot in Broad Street, ... 377 

Ruins of the Ursuline Convent, - 332 

" Boston Fire, - - 37S 

Savin Hill, • . • . . 147 



Settlement of Boston, - 
Smith's Map, ... 
Small Pox Certificate, - 
South Battery, ... 
State Street Massacre, 

" House, Old, 

" " New 

Fire, Old 

Tavern, Green Dragon 

" Lamb ... 
Triangular Warehouse, 
Tremont and Boylston Streets in 
Trinity Church, . . - 

Vue de Boston, ... 



800, 



II 

32 
351 

189 

207 

83 

S7 
374 

106 

76 

79 

293 

321 

293 



Warren House, 1775, ... 256 
Warren's Birthplace, ... 256 
Washington, Triumphal Arch, and 

Collonade, .... 282 

Washington Elm, Camliridge, . 261 
Winter, Washington and Summer Streets, 

View of . - . . . 29^ 
Wood's Map, .... 35 

Winthrop's Grave, ... 22 

Worcester and Providence R. R. crossing 

the Marshes of Back Bay in 1840, 369 



ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATION'S IN SECOND EDITION. 

Beacon Hill, Plate i, from Mt. Vernon Street. Camp of New England Guards 

" " " 2, Derne Street, with Mr. at Savin Hill .... 

Thurston's House. Cotton Mather House 

3, from Bowdoin Street. First Boston Lighthouse . 

" " " 4, from Mt. Vernon Street, Panoramic Views from Beacon 

near the head of Han- Hill 

cock Street. Portrait (Opposite Introductory). 

" " " 5, from the site of the Res- Ship Building in South Boston 

ervoir between Han- in 1820 

cock and Temple Stage Coach .... 

Streets . Op. p. 115 Tremont Street Mall, looking 

Blake House .... "143 North 

Boston with its Environs . . " 262 Tremont Street Mall, looking 

South 



Op. p. 148 
■■ 96 
■• 276 



334 
365 

'54 

154 



REFERENCE TO SAME IN TEXT. 

PAGE 

Beacon Hill Plates 115 

Blake House 145 

Boston with its Environs . . . 255 
Camp of New England Guards at Savin 

Hill 149 



Cotton Mather House . 
First Boston Lighthouse 
Panoramic \'iews from Beacon Hill 
Ship Building in South Boston in 1820 
Tremont Street Mall 



PAGE 

96 
279 
222 
331 
154 



Index to Illustrations. 



Almshouse, Leverett Street 
Annie Pollard, Portrait 
Attack on Bunker Hill, 

Battle of Lexington, - 

Beacon Hill, Removal of 

Birthplace of General Knox, 
" Benj. P'ranklin, 

Blackstone House, 

Boston, View of, taken on the road 
leading to Dorchester, Frontisp 

Boston, Lamb's Map of 

Boiner's Map of - 
South-East View of 
Revere View of 
Harbor, Perspective View of 
and its Environs, Plan of 
Neck, Lines thrown up on 
Neck, Front View of Lines o) 
Vue de - 

Lincolnshire, England, 
Town Records, 
from Willis' Creek, 
from Dorchester Neck, 
from Breeds' Hill, - 
Lighthouse, - - - 
Fire, . - . . 

Bostonians Paying the Exciseman, 

Bonner's Map of Boston, 

Bread from the Pierce House. 

Brattle Street Church, 

Bunker Hill, Plan of the Action at 
" " Attack on 

Cambridge Common in 1 784, 
Castle, The - . . . 

Christ Church, - - . - 

Charter, First Massachusetts 
Charles River Bridge, - 
Charlestown, Viewdf, from Beacon Hill 241 
Clark-Frankland House, - - 59 

Corner of Winter, Washington and 

Summer Streets, - - - 287 



339 

15 

249 

227 

"3 

280 

9i 
'7 

lece 
41 
45 
iSi 
203 
205 
263 
266 
267 
289 

25 
29 

■63 
167 

173 

277 
379 
199 

45 
158 

327 
245 
249 

"35 
187 

313 
51 

345 



Colleges at Cambridge, Prospect of 

*' " View of 

College, Massachusetts Medical 
Concord, View of the To«'n of 
Convent, Ruins of the Ursuline 
Court House and City Hall, Old 



129 
'31 

349 
231 
333 
355 



Dalton Mansion, ... 5^ 

Dorchester Neck, Plan of - - 273 

" \'iewof the country towards 269 

Engagement at the North Bridge, 235 

Exchange Coffee House, - - 121 



Faneuil Hall, 

" 1825, 
Feather Store, South View 
" ■' West View 

Federal Street Church, 
" " Cathedral, 

" " Theatre, 

First Interview with the Indians, 
" Railroad Advertisement, 
" King's Chapel, 
" Issue of Paper Money, 
" Church, 

" Massachusetts Charter, 
Fire, Old State House 

" Boston, 
Fifty Pound Note, 1775, 
Franklin, Benjamin, Portrait 

" Birthplace of 
Front View of Lines on Boston 



103 

7' 

73 

305 

330 

359 

- 366 
300 

139 

295 

51 
375 
379 
141 

95 
93 

Neck, 267 



Gage, General Thomas, Portrait of 225 

Green Dragon Tavern, - . 107 

Green, Dr. Samuel, Autograph Letter 4 

Hancock House, - - - m 

Harvard, Rev. John, Monument to 125 

" College, South View of 133 

Harbor from Fort Hill, View of - • 171 

HoUis Street Church, - - - 323 



INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Home of General Warren, 
House of Industry and House of 

Correction, . - . . 
Hutchinson House, 

Johnson's Hall, Court Square, 
Joy Building, . . . . 
Julien's Restorator, - . . 

King's Chapel, 

Knox, General, Birthplace uf 

Lamb's Map of Boston, 

Lamb Tavern, . - - . 

Landing a Bishop, 

Lexington, View of South Part of 

Lighthouse, Boston ... 

Liberty Tree, .... 

Lines thrown up on Boston Neck, 

Massachusetts Medical College, 
Minot House, .... 
Mystic River Bridge, - 
Monument to Rev. John Harvard, 

New South Church, 

North Battery Certificate, 

New England Primer, 

" " Smith's Map of 

" " Wood's Map of 

Nix's Mate Island, 

North Bridge, Engagement at 

Old Elm, 1876, . 

" " and Boston Common, 
Old State House Fire, 

" Court House and City Hall, 

" Trinity Church, 

" Brick, .... 

" House on Prince Street, 

" South Church, 

" Scollay Building, 
Order of Procession, - 

Paper Money, First Issue of 
Plan of Boston and its Environs, 
Pierce House, .... 

" " Bread from - 

Plan of Dorchester Neck, 

" the Action at Bunker Hill, 



257 

335 
55 

353 
117 

75 

301 
280 

41 

77 
197 

239 
274 
213 
266 

349 
■55 
341 
J 25 

317 

193 

97 

37 
183 
235 

179 
177 
375 
355 
321 

297 
67 

309 
348 
285 

'39 
263 
■59 
158 

273 
245 



Primer, New England - 
Prince Street, Old House in 
Procession, Order of . 
Perspective view of Boston Harbor, 

Quincy Market. .... 

Railroad Advertisement, First 
Railroad Crossing, Worcester and 
Providence .... 
Revere View of Boston, 
" Paul, Portrait - 
Paul, House of 
Ruins of the Ursuline Convent, 
" Boston Fire, 



97 

67 

285 

205 

363 

366 

367 
203 
220 
219 

Zij 
379 



Savin Hill, View of, 1S30 

1882 - 
Scollay Building, ... 

Shawmut, or Tramount 
Smith's Map of New England, Part of 
Small Pox Certificate, - 
.South Battery Certificate, 
State House, Old, South West View of 

" Double page - 

State House, New ... gg — gi 

" Street Massacre, - - 209 



149 

i5> 
348 
«4 
3i 
35" 
191 

85 
81 



Tavern, Green Dragon 

" Lamb .... 
Theatre, Federal Street 
Tiger Engine No. 7, . 
Town Records, First Entry in 
Tramount, or Shawmut 
Tremont and Boylston Streets in 1800, 
Triangular Warehouse, 
Triumphal Arch, Washington 
Trinity Church, .... 
Old . 

Vue de Boston, ...» 

Washington, Triumphal Arch 
" Elm, Cambridge, 

Warren, Home of General - 
Winthrop, Governor, Portrait of - 

" " Grave of 

Wood's Map of New England, 1633 
Worcester and Providence Railroad 
Crossing .... 



107 
77 

359 

371 
29 
14 

291 

79 
283 
319 
321 

289 

283 
259 

257 
■9 
23 

37 

367 





Om/VLM, /\/ 




INTRODUCTORY. 

No city in the United States gathers within its limits more 
matter of national historic import than the city of Boston. There 
is not a foot of its original territory (we say original from the 
fact that more than two-thirds of its present territory is made 
ground) but what Ls associated with our country's struo-gle for 
iiulependence or the trials and privations of its early settlere. To 
the antiquary it presents an inexhaustible store of surprises and a 
veritable mine of pleasure. 

The first edition of this work was published in 1882 ; since then 
some new material has been added to this edition, and some mattei-s 
of minor importance have been omitted. This change has made the 
second edition of much more value and importance than the first. 

In compiling the matter accompanying each illustration the 
author has used every endeavor to give a clear, concise and truth- 
ful description of the subject in hand. Eveiy authority on any 
one subject has been carefully sought out and consulted, and it is 
believed notliing has been neglected which would tend to make the 
work a most valuable acquisition to the history of Boston, in its 
letter-press as well as in the preservation to posterity of the rare 
old prints here incorporated. The author takes pleasure in ac- 
knowledging the valuable assistance rendered him by Dr. Samuel 
A. Green, Librarian of the Massachusetts Historical Library, Jolm 
Ward Dean, Librarian of the New England Historic Genealogical 
Society, Judge Chamberlain, Librarian of the Public Library, and 
H. C. Whitmore, City Registrar and Record Commissioner of 
Boston. 




The following letter from his Honor the Mayor of Boston, who is well known 
as the Librarian of the Massachusetts Historical Society, is a sufficient guarantee 
of the value and reliability of this work : — 

tJLi^i^ ^x^^yiri^ caX^^ru^ UnyCC^ (h^Ji^t: ^^.n^Z^ ""Z^C- 







jhesteFe 




View of Boston Taken on the Road Leading to Dorchester 








STARK'S 

Antique VieAvs 



OF VE 



TowNE OF Boston. 



DISCOVERY OF BOSTON HARBOR. 

Who were the first discoverers of Boston harbor is not linown. 
Some historians suppose that it was first discovered by the North- 
men, but this statement cannot be substantiated. 

The inhabitants of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, were at a 
very early period of the Christian era acquainted with the science 
and practice of navigation, far surpassing the people of the South 
of Europe in building vessels, and managing them upon the sea. 
The characteristics of these people were of a predatory and 
piratical nature, who possessed nothing of that thirst for glory 
of discovery that so eminently distinguished those of the Southern 
countries. 

As early as 861, in one of their piratical excursions, they dis- 
covered Iceland ; and about the year 889 Greenland was discov- 
ered, and peopled by the Danes, under Eric the Red, a noted 
chieftain who had to flee his country for murder. 

Very early in the eleventh century, Biame, an Icelander, who 
had visited many countries with his father Heriulf, for trading 
purposes, being accidently separated in one of the vessels from 



10 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

his parent, in directing his course to Greenland, was driven by a 
storm southwesterly to an unknown country, level in its forma- 
tion, destitute of rocks, and thickly wooded, having an island 
near its coast. After the storm abated he concluded his voyage 
to Greenland, and related his discoveries to Lief, the son of Eric 
the Red, a person of an adventurous disposition, whose desires 
he awakened by the recital of his accidental discovery. Lief 
sailed in the year 10U2 on a voyage of discovery, and it is stated 
that the Icelander visited not only the shores of Greenland and 
Labrador, but explored the coast of New England, during which 
they discovered Boston Harbor ; one of the promontories, they 
named " Krossaness," and which archa?ologists have been led to 
believe was one of the headlands of Boston Harbor, named after- 
ward by the Plymouth settlers Point AUerton, which is the north- 
erly termination of Nantasket Beach. These discoveries of the 
Northmen were forgotten for many years, and as late as the fif- 
teenth century Greenland was only known to the Norwegians and 
Danes as the " lost land." It is more than probable that Colum- 
bus during his voyage heard of the discoveries made by the 
Northmen, or saw their charts, which caused him to so strongly 
believe that there was " land to the westward." 

After the discovery of America by Columbus, many voyagers 
visited the American coast in the northern latitude before the 
settlement of New England ; among whom were John Cabot and 
his son Sebastian, natives of Bristol, who made the first authentic 
discovery of the American continent. The land thus discovered 
by the English merchant was a portion of Labrador, which event 
occurred on the 24th of June, 1497, about thirteen months before 
Columbus on his third voyage came in sight of the mainland, and 
nearly two years before Americus Vespucius ventured to follow 
the illustrious Columbus. 

FIEST AUTHENTIC DISCOVEKY OF BOSTON. 

In 1602, Bartholomew Gosnold, a daring mariner from the 
west of England, being possessed of a gi-eat desire for discover^s 
set sail from Yarmouth in a small vessel, with only thirty-two 
men, and was the first Englishman who came in a direct course 
and set foot on Massachusetts soil, selecting a small island called 
Cuttyhunk, situated at the mouth of Buzzards Bay. There, 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 11 

upon a little but well wooded island of about one acre of land, in 
a pond of fresh water, Gosnold built a fort and established a 
house, the vestiges of which may be seen at the present time ; on 
the 18th of June, scarcely a month after landing, he sailed with 
his men for home. In the year 1614, Captain John Smith, of 
Pocahontas notoriety, a celebrated traveller and navigator, sailed 
from England, and explored the coast of New England in a boat 
which he built after his arrival ; by this means he was enabled to 
explore the bays, harbors, rivers, and dithcult and dangerous 
places, without running any risk or danger of losing his vessel. 
With eight men for a crew, he explored the coast from the Pen- 
obscot to Cape Cod, trading with the Indians for furs. On this 
expedition he discovered Boston Harbor and the Charles Eiver. 




nRST INTERVIEW WITH THE INDIANS. 



THE SETTLEMENT OF BOSTON. 



After the death of King James in 1625, Charles I. succeeded 
to the throne, who committed the government of the church to 
men of arbitrary principles, passionately fond of the established 
rites and ceremonies, and disposed to press the observance of 
them with rigid exactness, until at last the very name of bishop 



12 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

grew odious to the people, and they were forced to draw their 
swords in defence of their liberties, whereby the kingdom was 
involved in the horrors of a civil war. 



This being the melancholy state of affairs. Rev. John White, 
minister of Dorchester, England, encouraged by the success of 
the Plymouth Colony, projected a new settlement in Massachu- 
setts Biiy. Mr. White associated himself with several persons of 
quality about London, who petitioned the Iving to confirm their 
rights by a patent, which he did on the 4th of March, in the 
fourth year of his reign. Their general business was to be dis- 
posed and ordered by a Com-t, composed of a Governor, Deputy 
Governor, and eighteen Assistants. Their jurisdiction extended 
from three miles north of the Merrimack to three miles south of 
the Charles River, and in length fi'om the Atlantic Ocean to the 
South Sea. 

Preparations began to be made with vigor for the embarkation 
of a gi'eat colony. By the end of February, 1630, a fleet of 
fourteen vessels was furnished with men, women, and children, — 
all necessary men of handicrafts, and others of good condition, 
wealth and quality, to make a finn plantation. 

In this fleet were congregated our forefathers, with their wives 
and little ones, leaving their native country, kindred, friends, and 
acquaintances ; perhaps forever, — to break asunder those cords 
of afl'ection which so powerfully bind one to his native soil, and 
to dissolve those tender associations which constitute the bliss of 
civil society. All the fleet, on Monday, March 29, 1630, were 
riding at anchor at Cowes, Isle of Wight. By head-winds and 
other causes they were delayed a week, during which they im- 
proved one day as a fast. 

On the 8th of April, about six in the morning, the wind being 
east and by north, and fair weather, they weighed anchor, and 
set sail. 

" No accident of any moment occurred on board of the ships. 
They saw one or two whales, one with a bunch on his back about 
a yard above water, and all the way were birds fl3nng and swim- 
ming, when they had no land near by two hundred leagues." On 
the 3d of June they approached near enough to the coast to get 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 13 

soundings in eighty fathoms and regaled themselves with fish of 
their own catching. On the 8th they had sight of Mount 
Desert. 

" So pleasant a scene here they had as did much refresh them ; 
and there came a smell ofl' the shore like the smell of a 
garden." 

Noah could hardly have been more gi-atified to behold his dove 
with the olive-leaf in her mouth, than these people must have been 
to have received a visit from a wild pigeon and another small bird 
from land. 

All day on the 11th they stood to, and again within sight of Cape 
Ann. On Satm-day, the 12th, at four in the morningr they o-ave 
noticeof their approach, from a piece of ordnance, and sent their 
skiff ashore. In the course of the day, passing through the narrow 
strait between Baker's and another small island, they came to an- 
chor in Salem Har])or. The other ships of the fleet came in daily 
and by the 6th of July, thirteen out of the fourteen had arrived 
safely, without the loss ot more than fifteen lives by sickness or 
accident. A day of public thanksgiving was therefore kept on 
the 8th of that month. 

The other vessel, the " Mary and John," which brought over 
Messrs John Warham and John Maverick, with many godly fam- 
ilies from Devonshire, Dorsetshire and Somersetshire^ too-ether 
with Edward Rossiter and Roger Clap, who was aftenvard captain 
of the "Castle," in Boston Harbor, became separated from the 
fleet during the voyage, and was the first to arrive. They had 
some difficulty with Captain Squib, who, "like a merciless man" 
(but he could hardly have been expected to do different, as the 
harbor was but little known, and he would have been in danger of 
losing his ship had he done as they desired), put them ashore on 
Nantasket Point, now called Hull, notwithstanding they held that 
he was engaged to Ijring them to the Charles River ; yet he con- 
tended that they were then at the entrance of the river. This all 
took place before the 14th of June, on which day the ship "Ad- 
miral," of the New England fleet, arrived at Salem, in which Gov- 
ernor Winthrop and Mr. Isaac Johnson came as passeno-ers. 



14 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 



Governor Winthrop, after his arrival at Salem, determined to re- 
move to a point of land, since called Charlestoivn, in honor of Charles 
I., and with his followers took up his abode there, and dwelt in 
the " Great House," which was built the year before by j\Ir. Thomas 
Graves, while the "multitude" set up cottages, tents, and booths. 
From the length of their passage over the Atlantic, many arrived sick 
with scurvy, which greatly increased aftei-ward through the want 
of proper houses to live and sleep in. Other distempers also pre 
vailed ; and, although the people were ver}^ loving and kind to each 
other, yet so many were afflicted that those few who remained well 
were unable to attend them and many died in consequence. Fewer 
dismal days did the first settlers experience than those they passed 
at Charlestown. In almost every family lamentation was heard, 
fresh food could not be obtained, and that which added to their dis- 
tress was the want of fi-esh water ; for although the place afforded 




THE TRAHOUIST OR SHAWMCT. 



plenty, yet for the present they could find but one spring, and that 
could not be reached except when the tide was down : this want of 
water was their principal cause of removal to Shawmut, now Bos- 
ton : for notwithstanding the resolution of the principal men to 
build their town at Charlestown, the discouragement attendant on 
sickness and death caused many to be restless, and to think of other 
locations ; in the mean time Mr. William Blackstone, who lived at 
Shawmut (which signifies, in the Indian language, " living water," 
on account of the springs found there, and called by the new- 
comers Tramount, or Trimount, from its appearance from Charles- 
town of three large hills), learned of their distress, and, going 
over to their relief, advised them to remove to this peninsula. 
His advice was kindly received, and followed soon after. Thus 
Boston became settled by the English Puritans. 




.ANNIE POLLARD 

AT THE AGE yF IO3 YRS. 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 



17 



THE FIRST SETTLER OF BOSTON. 



Was Mr. Blackstone. This was acknowledged during the life- 




BLACKbTONE b Ht l t. 



these words: "Mr. Blackstone, dwelling on the other side of 
Charles River alone, at a place called by the Indians, Shawmut, 
where he had a cottage at, or not far from, the place called Black- 
stone Point (supposed to be the southwest slope of Beacon Hill, near 
the corner of Beacon and Charles sts.), came and acquainted the 
Governor of an excellent spring, inviting and soliciting him thither. 
Whereupon, after the death of Mr. Johnson and divers others, 
the Governor and INIr. Wilson, and the gi-eatest part of the church, 
removed thither ; whither also the frame of the Governor's house 
was carried, when the people began to build their houses against 
winter, and this place was called Boston, which was named after 
Boston in Lincolnshire, England, from which place some of the 
settlers came from." Blackstone's house, or cottage, in which he 
lived, too-ether with the natm'e of his improvements, was such as 
to authorize the belief that he had resided there some seven or 
eio-ht years. He was a retired Episcopal clergyman, and was one 
oi those who preferred solitude to society, and his theological 
ideas coiTCsponded with those habits of life. How he became pos- 
sessed of his lands here is not known ; but it is certain he held a 



18 AXTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTOX. 

good title to them, which was acknowledged by the settlers under 
Winthrop, who, in the course of time, bought his lands of him, 
and he removed out of the jurisdiction of Massachusetts. When 
he invited Winthrop to come over to his side of the river, he prob- 
ably had no thought of removal himself, as it was some four years 
later when he changed his location. His selling out and leaving 
Boston was no doubt occasioned by his desire to live more retired, 
as well as a dislike to his Pm-itau neighbors. He said he •• left 
England because of his dislike of the Lord Bishops, and now he 
did'uot like the Lord Brethren." One of the new-comers writes 
about him as foUews : ••There M-ere also some Godly Episcopa- 
lians, among whom may be reckoned Mr. Blackstone, who, by 
happening to sleep first in an old hovel, upon a point of land 
there, laid claim to all the ground whereupon there now stands 
the whole metropolis of English America, until the inhabitants 
save him satisfaction." 

Blackstone retreated to that beautiful valley through which 
flows the Blackstone Kiver, named in honor of him. 

Upon Blackstone's advice the Charlestown settlers acted, and 
removed to Sha\\Tiiut. In the first boat-load that went over was 
Anne Pollard, who lived to be one hundred and five years old, 
and whose portrait we give, which was copied In' the Photo- 
Electrotj-pe process, from a painting in the possession of the 
^Massachusetts Historical Society, that was painted when she was 
one hundred and thi-ee years old. As the boat drew up towards 
the shore, she (being then a romping girl) declared she would lie 
the first woman to "land, and, before anyone, jumped from the 
bow of the boat on to the beach. According to this statement, 
which is based on good authorit}', Anne Pollard was the first 
white female that stood on the soil of Boston. Her deposition, at 
the affe of eighty-nine, was used to substantiate the location of 
Blackstone's house. 

THE ABORIGINES 

The Indians living to the north visited the settlement quite fre- 
quently ; but no intercourse was had for some time with the Mass- 
achusetts, living to the southward, whoso principal residence was 
on the Neponsel River. At the head of these was a chief named 
Chickataubut. He had learned, probably, that Indians who visited 




GOVERNOR WINTHROP. 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 



21 



the new people at Shawmut fared well, and he resolved to venture 
among them to see what benefit they would be to him. Accord- 
ingly he mustered up considerable men, who, with their wives, 
made their appearence at the dwelling of the Governor ; and, to 
satisfy him that they had not come out of idle curiosity, he pre- 
sented him with a hogshead of Indian corn. The Governor could 
not be outdone in generosity in so important a state afl'air ; and, 
therefore, he provided a dinner for the whole company. The 
Governor allowed Chickataubut to dine with him at his own table, 
where he behaved himself as soberly as an Englishman. The 




INTERVIEW BBTTVERN THE INDIANS AND GOV. WINTHROP. 

next day after dawn they returned home ; the Governor giving 
him some cheese and peas, and a mug, and several other small 
things. 

EARLY APPEARANCE OF BOSTON. 

Winthrop's company found Boston sparsely wooded ; water, 
however, was abundant and good. In addition to the springs near 
Blackstone's house, mention is made in the first records of a 
"gi-eat spring" in Spring Lane, as well as other springs on the 
neck and elsewhere. 

The first settlers located chiefly within the limits between what 
sre now Hanover, Tremont, Bromfield, and Milk Streets. Pem- 
berton Hill was also a favorite place of residence. The first 



22 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

buildings were rude and unsightly. They were of wood, with 
roofs thatched, while the chimneys were built of pieces of wood 
placed crosswise, and covered with clay. Economy in building 
was earned so far that Governor Wiuthrop reproved his deputy, 
in 1G32, for nailing clapboards upon his house, saying "that he 
did not well to bestow so much cost about the wainscoting, and 
adorning his house in the beginning of a plantation, both in regard 
of the public charges and for example." 

The first General Court was held in Boston, in 1630. John 
Winthrop was elected Governor, and Thomas Dudley, Deputy 
Governor. Our portrait of Governor Winthrop was copied from 
the painting in the possession of the Mass. Historical Society. 

The government of the town was in the hands of nine select- 
men. 

In 1632, Boston was declared l)y the colonial legislature to be 
"the fittest place for pulilic meetings of any place in the Bay," 
and it has remained the capital of Massachusetts ever since. 



WINTHROP S GRAVE. 

Governor Winthrop died March 26, 1649. He was called the 
father of Boston, and no death has happened in it since its settle- 
ment which caused so deep a sensation among its inhabitants. He 
was interred in King's Chapel Ijurying ground, on the northerly 
side of it, directly beneatJi the windows of the Mass. Historical 
Society, from whence our view of his tomb was taken. 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 27 

BOSTON, LINCOLNSHIRE, ENGLAND. 

The original name of Boston is supposed to be derived from an 
old British saint of the name of Botolph, Mho lived aliout A. D. 
650. The name is obtained from the Saxon boat and ulph, help, 
because. Botolph was the tutelar saint of mariners. For a long 
series of ages but little is known of English Boston. For nearly 
a thousand years succeeding its foundation, few of the vicissitudes 
attending it through that dark period have been recorded. Indeed, 
its history had hardly l)een attempted until its daughter on this side 
of the Atlantic had, in most respects, far outgrown her mother 
city. Two hundred and fifty years ago, at the time the fathers of 
New England left there, it was, and long had been, a famous and 
flourishing town, built on both sides of the river Witham, which 
is here enclosed on both sides with artifical banks, over which was 
a high wooden bridge, which has since been superseded with an 
iron one which cost £22,000. At a far remote period, it had be- 
come a great mart for wool, " which very much enriched and in- 
vited thither the merchants of the Hanse towiis, who fixed their 
Guild there." In 1719, the inhabitants were chiefly merchants and 
graziers. At this date, it had a commodious and well frequented 
haven, admitting ships of two hundred and fifty tons up to the 
town, while, only thirty years later, even a small sloop of but 
forty tons, drawing but six feet of -water, could get up only at 
spring tides. This was caused by the river being choked up with 
silt. Not long after, however, its usual navigation was restored 
by cutting a new channel from the town to Dogdike, an extent of 
twelve miles. To an inhabitant of Boston in New England it may 
appear scarcely credible for places elsewhere to remain nearly the 
same for a hundred years together, yet such was the case with the 
mother of Boston, judging from the following facts : — The parish 
register of Old Boston shows that in 1614 there were thirty mar- 
riages, eighty-four baptisms, and eighty-three burials ; while in 
1714, just one hundred years later, there were thirty-one mar- 
riages, ninety-nine baptisms, and one hundred and thirty-one 
deaths. There was a return of the population in 1768, 3,470 ; in 
1801, 5,926 ; in 1811, 8,113 ; in 1831, 11,240 ; in 1841, 34,680. 

St. Botolph's church, which is one of the prominent objects in 
the engraving and one of the most famous and interesting objects 
of ancient Boston, rendered doubly famous here for its having been 



28 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

the church of which Mr. John Cotton was vicar twenty-one years, 
and from which he was ol)liged to fly to New Enghind. This 
church was descriljcd one hunch-ed and sixty-three years ago as 
" beautiful and large, the tower of which is so very high as to he 
the wonder of travelers, and the guide for mariners at a gi-eat dis- 
tance. It is looked upon as the tinest in England and is 280 feet 
high, or better, and was begun to be built at midsummer, 1309, 
Dame Margaret Tilncy laying the first stone. The length of the 
church is equal to the height of the steeple, ninety-four yards. 
There are 365 steps, fifty windows and twelve pillars which are 
designed to parallel the days, weeks and months of the year." Its 
handsome tower was built after the model of that of the great 
church at Anthwerp. At the summit of this tower is a beautiful 
lantern, for a guide to seamen, which can be seen forty miles. It 
is a figurative saying of some of the pilgrims who settled this Bos- 
ton, that the lamp in the lantern of St. Botolph's ceased to burn 
when Cotton left that church to Iiecome a shining light in the wil- 
derness of Xew England. 

St. Botolph's has no galleries, yet it will contain five thousand 
persons, as estimated at the obsequies of the late Princess Charlotte. 
The nave is lofty and grand ; the ceiling, representing a stone 
vaulting, is said to be of Irish oak. It consists of fourteen groined 
arches, with h'glit spaudrils, which, Ijy their elegant curves, inter- 
sections and embowments, produce a beautiful efl'ect. The upper 
part of the nave is lighted by twenty-eight clerstory windows, be- 
tween the springs of the arches. The chancel, which is spacious 
and lofty, has on each side ranges of stalls, the seats of which 
are ornamented with gTotesque carvings ; over these, formerl}', 
were canopies, highly embelished with foliage and fret-work. The 
altar is of oak, in the Corinthian order. Such was the splendid 
and magnificient church of St. Botolph's, in which many of the 
fathers of " New England Boston " had l)een wont to worship, and 
which they had looked upon with pious reverence, and which they 
justly remembered as one of the chief glories of their native land. 
But at the period of their emigration, a great change had com- 
menced. They began to consider extravagance in architecture 
and dress as very wicked, and disapproved of by the God they 
intended to honor by such extravagance. 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 31 

FIRST ENTRY IN THE RECORDS OF THE TOWN OF BOSTON. 

Our local historians very generally agree that there are several 
pages missing from the first book of the Records of Boston, and 
what there is left of it, begins Sept. 1, 1634 ; the first entry being 
herewith faithfully repi'oduced by the Photo Electrotyjie Engi'av- 
ing process. 

The first entries are in the autograph of Governor Winthrop 
and were written in blue ink, which is still bright. It is thought 
that the missing pages were occupied chiefly in the allotments and 
distributions of lands, and it is probable that a list of the residents 
were there given, but this is simply speculation. AVhat now 
remains seems to be an entire book of IGl pages, written on fools- 
cap paper. The paging and indexing was a comparatively modern 
labor, and from the pages running regularly through the book 
(from 1 to 161) it appears to be complete. 

The first entry begins at the top of the page and in these 
words : 

" "Whereas, it has been founde that muche damage hath alreadye 
happnd by laynge of stones and loges neere the bridge and land- 
inge place, whereby diverst boats have been much bruised ; for 
prvention of such harmes for tyme to come, it is ordered that 
whosoever shall unlade any stones, lumber or logges, where the 
same may be plaincly seene at high water, shall set vp a pole or 
beacon thereof, upon pain that whosoever shall fail so to doe shall 
make full recompense for all such damage as shall happen, being 
only declarative of ye com. lawe herein." 

The following names, occupying the left hand margin of the 
record, are presumed to have been those of the select men pi*eseut : 
John Winthrop, William Coddington, Captain John Underbill, 
Thomas Oliver, Thomas Leverett, Giles Firmin, John Coggeshall, 
William Pierce, Robert Hardinge and William Brenton. One 
name crossed out is presumed to be that of Edmund Quinsey. 

There is one name in the MS. not entirely written out. This 
was crossed out apparently at the time it was written, and is pre- 
sumed to have been that of " Edmund Quinsey," who was at that 
time an inhabitant of Boston and had been admitted a freeman 
4th ]\Iarch, 1634. This person, whoever he was, may have been 
appointed one of the Town Olficers, but had not accepted the 
office, or otherwise, was prevented from being present. 



32 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

The Record proceeds: — "It is also ordered, that no person 
shall leave any fish or garbage neare the said bridge or common 
landing-place, between the creeks, whereby any annoyance may 
come to the people that passe that way, vpon payne to forfeit for 
every such offence five shillings, the same to be levied by distress 
of the goodes of the offender. 



SMITHS MAP. 

As stated in the first part of this work. Captain John Smith 
made the first authentic discovery of Boston Harbor. On his re- 
turn to England he published a map which clearly shows a bay 
with eight islands in it, into which flowed a river which he called 
"Charles River." He afterwards made use of later explorers' re- 
ports and added them to his map. This map, being the real foun- 
dation of our New England cartography, deserves particular at- 
tention. Smith showed his map to Prince Charles, then a lad of 
fifteen, and desired him to give names to the different points, bays, 
rivers, hills and other physical features. Of the names which the 
Prince assigned, but three Ijecame permautly attached to the lo- 
calities, and these are Plimouth, Cape Anna, and the river Charles. 
Boston has been changed to York, Me., and Smith's Isles to Isles 
of Shoals, London to Hingham, Oxford to Marshfield, Poynt 
Suttliff to Brant Rock, Poynt George to Gurnet. New England, 
as the general designation of the country, has been suflered to re- 
main. Ten or more editions of this map were published in which 
there were many distinctive features. Our reproduction is a por- 
tion of the map published in "Mercator's Atlas," 1635, four years 
after Smith's death. Although the old date, 1614, is still kept on 
the plate, yet the following words which appear on the map show 
that it followed Wood's Prospects of 1634 : "He that desji-es to 
know more of the Estate of new England left him read a new 
Book of the prospecte of new England & there he shall have 
Satisfaction." On this last edition appear the names of Boston, 
Roxbury, Dorchester, and many other distinctive features that do 
not appear on the first ; as, for instance, there are eighteen islands 
in the harbor instead of eight, as in the first edition. These 
changes were made through the reports of later visitors, such as 
Wood and others. 




?i>RT OF Smith's Ma? of New England. 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 35 

wood's map. 

This map, which appeared in Wood's New England Prospects, 
with the title, "The South part of New England as it is Planted 
this yeare, 1634," is the oldest map known giving any detail of 
the geography of the vicinity of Boston. We herewith give a 
fac-simile of the map. Nothing is known of Wood, except that 
in August, 1633, he left this country, where he says "he had lived 
these four years, and that the end of his travel was observation, 
and that he intended to return shortly." Wood, in his descrip- 
tion, says "Boston is two miles northeast from Roxberry. His 
situation is very pleasant, being a peninsula hemmed in on the 
south side with the bay of Roxberry, on the north side with 
Charles River, the marshes on the back side being not a half a 
quarter of a mile over ; so that a little fencing will secui-e their 
cattle from the wolves. Their gi-eatest wants be wood and 
meadow-ground, which never were in that place, being constrained 
to fetch their building timljer and firewood from the islands in 
boats and their hay in lighters. It being a neck, and bare of wood, 
they are not troubled with three great annoyances, of wolves, 
rattlesnakes, and mosquitoes. These that live here upon their 
cattle, must be constrained to take farms in the country, or else 
they cannot subsist ; the place being too small to contain many, 
and fittest for such as can trade into England for such commodi- 
ties as the country wants, being the chief place for shipping and 
merchandise. This neck of land is not above four miles in com- 
pass ; in form almost square, having on the south side, at one 
corner, a great broad hill, whereon is planted a fort, which can 
command any ship as she sails into any harbour within the still 
bay. On the north side is another hill, equal in bigness, whereon 
stands a windmill. To the northwest is a high mountain with 
three little rising hills on the top of it ; M'herefore it is called the 
Tramount. From the top of this mountain a person may over- 
look all the islands which lie before the bay, and descry such ships 
as are upon the sea-coast. This town although it be neither the 
greatest nor the richest, yet it is the most noted and frequented, 
being the centre of the plantations, where the monthly courts are 
kept. Here likewise dwells the Governor. This place hath very 
good land, aflbrding rich cornfields and fruitful gardens ; having 
likewise sweet and pleasant springs." 



36 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 



LAMB S MAP OF BOSTON ACCORDING TO THE BOOK OF 

POSSESSIONS. 

By order of the General Court, on April 1, 1634, it was ordered 
that a survey of the houses and lands of every inhabitant in every 
town should be made, and a transcript sent to the court within six 
months. It is possible that the Book of Possessions was compiled 
according to this order, for on a slip of paper in the library of the 
Mass. Hist. Society is the following testimony of Isa Addiugton : 
"These may Certify whom it maj^ Concern, That when I came 
first into the office of Clerk of the Court of Suffolk in the year 
1672 I there found a Book Entitled on the Cover Possessions of 
the Inhabitants of Boston, which I many times lookt into and 
extracted several things out of it at the desire of particular per- 
sons, but alwaies was in doubt of the validity of it as a Record. 
And it remained in the office at the time when I was dismissed 

Isa Addington." 

Succeeding generations, however, have placed a higher value 
on this book, and it is now recognized as the foundation of the 
title of most of the real estate of the old portion of the city. The 
volume itself, now in the custody of the city clerk, was evidently 
prepared on a plan of giving a half page to each person, and of 
entering under his name a list of his lands. The city of Boston 
has made a transcript of this work and published it for free distri- 
bution. Mr. George Lamb has recently made a map of the loca- 
tion of the lots of the owners mentioned in the Book of Possessions, 
undertaking to mark thereon the outlines of the several estates, 
with the names of the owners of the lots. The size of the map is 
[) ft. 4 in. by 5 ft. 4 in., and is divided into nine sections. This 
map was purchased by the Trustees of the Puldic Library, and 
copies distributed to conveyancers and antiquarians for corrections 
and additions. Much yet remains to be done, and it will be the 
work of years of research before its correctness will be attainable, 
even if at all. In our reduced form of Lamb's map, it is impos- 
sible to give the names of the owners of the lots as Lamb has 
done, or to give his boundary lines, which are purely imaginary. 
The lots are accordingly indicated by numbers in each section of 
the map, and by comparing tne number with the text the name of 
the owner of each lot may be ascertained. 







I I I 



I I I I 



M 



3iS 



Woop's Map of New England, 1634. 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 



39 



1. William Colborn 7, 

2. Edward Belcher 8. 

3. William Talmage 9, 

4. Thomas Snow 10, 

5. Robert Walker 11, 



C. 



Cotton Flack 
Jacob Eliot 
William Talmage 
Robert Walker 
John Cramwell 



6. William Briscoe 12. Ralph Roote 



13, 14. Wm. Salter 

15. Rich'd Croychley 

16. Richard Parker 

17. j\Ir. Roe 

18. William Colborn 



1. John Cogan 10. 

3. James Pen 11. 

4. Robert Turner 12. 

5. Thomas Millard 13. 

6. Richard Truesdale 14. 

7. Nathaniel Eaton 15. 

8. ZaccheusBosworth 16. 

9. Jane Parker 17. 

18. 



E. 

Nat. Chappelle^aZ 19. 
Richard Pepys 20. 
Thomas Millard 21. 
William Wilson 22. 
Richard Parker 23. 
John Ruggles 24. 
Edmund Dennis 25. 
Zacch's Bos worth a. 
Richard Sherman b. 



Wm. Beamsley 
Robert Wing 
Francis Lyle 
James Johnson 
Thomas Clarke 
Thomas Buttolph 
Richard Cooke 
John Biggs 
Valentine Hill 



A. John Cogan 15. 

B. Burying-ground 16. 

1. Thomas Scottow 17. 

C. Rich'd Hutchinson 18. 

2. Gov'r Winthrop 19. 

3. Atherton Hough 20. 

4. Robert Reynolds 21. 

5. John Stevenson 22. 

6. Nathaniel Bishop 23. 

7. Nicholas Parker 24. 

8. James Penn 25. 

9. John Keudrick 26. 

10. William Dinsdale 27. 

11. Robert Rice 28. 

12. William Pell 29. 

13. John Spoore 30. 

14. Rich'd Fairbanks 31. 



F. 

Richard Gridley 32. 
Wm. Davies, Sr. 33. 
John Harrison 34. 
Richard Gridley 35. 
Nicholas Baxter 36. 
Edward Brown 37. 
Matthew lyons 38. 
Wm. Leatherland 39. 
William Teft 40. 
Thomas Munt 41. 
Jonathan Negoos 42. 
Thomas Foster 43. 
Richard Tuttle 44. 
Benjamin Gillam 45. 
Robert Turner 46. 
William Deming 47. 
Capt. Rob't Keayne48. 



Robert Scott 
Mauditt Engles 
Benjamin Negoos 
Gamaliel Waite 
Thomas Oliver 
Robert Scott 
John Palmer, Sr 
Amos Richardson 
Wm. Hudson, Sr 
Geora^e Grigsrs 
Wm. Blantaine 
Thomas Bell 
Richard HoUick 
Gamaliel Waite 
Rich'd Woodhouse 
John Viall 
The Pond 



40 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 



49. Edw'd Fletcher 70. 

50. Richard Waite 71. 

51. Charity White 72. 

52. Francis East 73. 

53. Nathaniel Eaton 74. 

54. Richard Hogg 75. 

55. John ]\Iarshall 7fi. 

56. Nath"nVoodward77. 

57. John Palmer, Jr 78. 

58. Elizabeth Purton 79. 

59. Job Judkins 80. 

60. Robert Hull 81. 

61. John Hiird 82. 

62. AVm. Blantaine 83. 

63. Thomas Wheeler 84. 

64. Atherton Hough 85. 

65. Francis Lyle 86. 

66. Thomas Millard 87. 

67. Thomas Grubb 88. 

68. Wm. Aspinwall 89. 

69. Ephraim Pope 90. 



Edmund Dennis 
Edmund Jacklin 
Wm. Townsend 
Jane Parker 
Richard Sherman 
Daniel ISIand 
Richard Cooke 
Rich'd Fairbanks 
Zach. Bosworth 
John Synderland 
Richard Cooke 
John Lugg 
Arl hur Perry 
Robert Blott 
Mr. Flint 
Anthony Harker 
Mr. Flint 
Thomas Clarke 
Ralph Mason 
Robert AVing 
Henry AVebb 



91. George Burden 

92. James Johnson 

93. John Leverett 

94. AVm. Chamberlain 

95. Richard Carter 

96. Jacob Leger 

97. Rob't AYoodward 

98. Jacob Leger 

99. Thomas Fowle 

100. AValter Sinet 

101. John Odlin 

102. Cole 

103. Griffith Bo wen 

104. Garrett Bourne 

105. Edwd. Rainsford 

106. David Offley 

107. Owen Rowe 

108. John Peltou 

109. The Marsh 
d. AYm. Colborne 



1. Sampson Shore 

2. John Hill 18. 

3. David Sellick 19. 

4. John Mylom 20. 

5. AVm. AVerdall 21. 

6. Valentine Hill 22. 

7. John Oliver 23. 

8. John Knight 24. 

9. John Pierce 25. 

10. Thomas jNlarshall 26. 

11. The Bridge 27. 

12. Thomas Hawkins 28. 

13. John Button 29. 

14. John Davies 30. 

15. Gabriel Fish 31. 

16. Valentine Hill 32. 



G. 

33. 
John Lowe 34. 

Rich'd Bellingham35. 
Henry Symons 36. 
John Hill 37. 

James Everill 38. 
Edmund Dennis 39. 
John Button 40, 

Nicholas AVillis 41, 
Thomas Painter 42, 
George Barrell 43, 
Thos. Makepeace 44, 
Anne Hunne 45 

George Bates 46, 
George Burden 47, 
Francis Dowse 48 



Jeremy Houchin 
Sarah Knight 
Samuel Greames 
AVm. Hudson, Jr 
John Glover 
George Burden 
Hugh Gunnison 
Capt. AVm. Tyng 
Rich'd Bellingham 
Chris'r Stanley 
Thomas Buttolph 
Valentine Hill 
Henry Dunster 
Thomas Hawkins 
John Bisss 
James Brown 



Lamb's A\cip 

BOSTON. 




ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 



43 



49. Alexander Beck 71. 

50. Joshua Scottow 72. 

51. Benj. Thwing 73. 

52. Wm. Wilson 74. 

53. Dinely heirs 75. 

54. Eichard Tapping 76. 

55. Prison lot 77. 

56. Richard Parker 78. 

57. John Leverett 79. 

58. Rich'd Truesdale 80. 

59. Valentine Hill , 81. 

60. Meeting House 82. 

61. Gen. Sedgwick 83. 

62. Ed. Hutchinson 84. 

63. Henry Messenger 85. 

64. Market Place " 86. 

65. "\Vm. Hudson Sr. 87. 

66. Wm. Davies Sr. 88. 

67. John Winthrop 89. 

68. Elder Leverett 90. 

69. Robert Scott 91. 

70. Robert Scott 92. 



Henry Webb 
William Parsons 
James Davies 
John Spoore 
William Hibbens 
Richard Sherman 
The Spring Gate 
Deacon Oliver 
Rich'd Fairbanks 
William Corser 
Maj. Keayne 
Slary Hudson 
Henry Webb 
John Cogan 
Rev. John Wilson 
Anth'y Stoddard 
Valentine Hill 
Wm. Davies Jr. 
William Pierce 
David Sellick 
James Oliver 
Edward Tyng 



93. Valentine Hill 

94. Isaac Grosse 

95. Edward Bendall 

96. George Foxcroft 

97. Roljert Nash 

98. Wm. Franklin 

99. Maj. Gibbons 

100. William Corser 
/. Val. Hill's bridge 
g. Bend on Battery- 
march Street 

101. Nafl Woodward 

102. Ed. Hutchinson 

103. Benjamin Ward 

104. Benjamin Gillom 

105. John Compton 

106. The Fort 

107. Wm. Hibbins 

[There are no own- 
ers assigned to G. 17 
on Lamb's map.] 



1. James Johnson 15. 

2. John Smith 16. 

3. Maj.Edw. Gibbonsl7. 

4. Robert Nash 18. 

5. Henry Pease 19. 

6. John Leverett et al 20. 

7. Nathaniel Chappel 21. 

8. John Cole i'l. 

9. John Mellows 23. 

10. Edmund Jackson 24. 

11. Jeremy Houtchin '2b. 

12. Edward Bendall 26. 

13. Rev. John Cotton27. 

14. Daniel Maud 28. 



H. 

Rich'd Bellin2:ham29. 
Valentine Hill 30. 
Robert Meeres 31. 
Robert Howen 32. 
Anne Hunne 33. 

Henry Fane 34. 

John Newgate 35. 
Jeremy Houtchin 36. 
Mr. Stoughton 37. 
James Johnson 38. 
Thomas Hawkins 39. 
William Kirkby 40. 
James Hawkins 41. 
Richard Parker 42. 



Richard Sanford 
Robert Meers 
Heniy Pease 
Alexander Beck 
George Burden 
David Sellick 
Edmund Jackson 
Robert Meers 
Robert Turner 
William Davies 
John Biggs 
James Pen 
John Mellowes 
Rich'd Fairbanks 



44 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 



43. Henry Pease 

44. Thomas Oliver 

45. Richard Carter 



46. James Brown 49. 

47. Alexander Beck 50. 

48. Isaac Addinirton 51. 



Thomas Clarke 
Edward Gibbons 
Thomas Munt 



1. Chris'r Stanley 

2. Thos. Buttolph 

3. William Copp 



4. John Button 

5. John Shaw 

6. Windmill lot 



7. Valentine Hill 

8. Nicholas Parker 



K. 



00. Chris'r Stanley 0. 

0. Nicholas Parker 10. 

1. Thomas Buttolph 11. 

2. Edward Goodwin 12. 

3. John Sweet 13. 

4. Isaac Grosse 14. 

5. John Seaburj' 15. 

6. Walter Merry 16. 

7. Isaac Grosse 17. 

8. Wm. Beasley 18. 



Anne Tuttle 10. 
Nehemiah Bourne 20. 

Capt. Hawkins 21. 

Edward Bendall 22. 

Thomas Savage 23. 

Edmund Grosse 24. 

Samuel Cole 25. 

Isaac Cullimer 26. 

Thomas Joy 27. 
Richard Rawlins 



Thomas Clarke 
Thomas Joy 
Isaac Cullimer 
Bart. Passmore 
Francis Hudson 
John Gallop 
ISIatthew Chaffie 
Wm. Hudson Sr. 
Thomas Meekins 



The TOWN oFIH 

OS TON 







rj'i, I'/.ltliuriJ, 
IIJ ll.-rik 

c.OU.r.uiA 

t..lhh.f Kmiland 
tBr.illlf .tiOmidx 

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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 



47 



THE BONNER MAP. 

This map was drawn by Captain John Bonner, and engraved 
and printed by Francis Dewing in 1722, and is the oldest map of 
Boston in existance, showing the streets and prominent places. 
The original from which this was copied is preserved in the archives 
of the Massachusetts Historical Society. The size of the plate 
was about 2 feet by 17J inches, and was afterwards published by 
William Price, with additions and emendations, in 1733, 1743 and 
1769, and possibly in other years, as the date of the map was 
sometimes put upon it with writing-ink. This map was the basis 
of all other plans of the town for many years. William Price, 
who was interested in the sale of the map, had a shop " against ye 
Town House." He died in 1772, aged 87. There is a tablet to 
his memory in King Chapel burying ground. 

List of the names of the prominent Places and Streets of Boston 

as shown on the Bonner 3Iap of 1722, and their present 

names and location in 1882. 

NAMES ON BONNER MAP, 1722. PRESENT NAME, 1882. 

Ann Street, North, 

Back Street, Salem, 

Barton's Point, formerly Blackstone's, 
Battery Alley, Battery Street, 

Batterymarch St., Broad & Purchase, 



Beacon Street, 
Beech Street, 
Beer Lane, 
Belcher's Lane, 
Bell Alley, 
Bennett Street, 
Bishop's Alley, 
Blind Lane, 
Bowling Green, 
Brattle Street, 
Cambridge Street, 

Charter Street, 
Church Square,. 

Clark's Square, 
Cold Lane, 



Beacon, 
Beach, 

Parmenter Street, 
Purchase Street, 
Prince Street, 
No. Bennett St., 
Hawley Street, 
Bedford Street, 

Franklin Ave. and 
Cambridge 

and part of Court, 

Charter, 
Cornhill Court, 

North Square. 
Portland Street, 



Union to Cross. 
Blackstone to Prince. 
Foot of Leverett Street. 
Hanover to Commercial. 
Milk to Oliver. 
Tremont to State House. 
Washington to Harrison Av 
Hanover to Salem. 
Summer to Oliver. 
Hanover to North Square. 
Salem to Hanover. 
Summer to Milk. 
Summer to Kingston. 

Space between Cambridge, Pitts, Sudbury 
and Merrimac Streets. 

Brattle Squ. and St. (east) 
Sudbury to Anderson. 

Hanover to Commercial. 
Rear of Joy (now Rogers) 

Building. 

Sudbury to Haymarket Sq. 



48 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 



Common Street, 
Cooper's Alley, 
Cornhill, 
Com Market, 
Cow Lane, 
Cral) Lane, 
Crooked Alley, 
Crooked Lane, 
Cross Street, 
Da vies Lane, 
Dock Square, 
Essex Street, 
Flounder Lane, 
Ferry Way, 
Fish Street, 
Fleet Street, 
Frog Lane, 
Gallop's Alley, 
Garden Court, 
Gibbs' Lane, 
Gray's Lane, 
Girdley Lane, 
Hanover Street, 
Half Square Court, 
Hillers' Lane, 
Hogg Alley, 
Hudson's Point, 
Hull Street, 
King Street, 
Leverett's Lane, 
Long Lane, 
Love Lane, 
Lynn Street, 
Mackerel Lane, 
Marlborough St., 
Merchant's liow. 
Middle Street, 
Milk Street, 
Mill Creek, 
Moon Street, 



Tremont, 
Kilby Street, 
Washington St., 

High Street, 
Batterymarch St. 
Federal St., 
Devonshire St., 
Cross, 
Beacon St., 
Dock Square, 
Essex, 

Atlantic Avenue, 
Commercial St., 
North, 
Fleet, 

Boylston Street, 
Board Street, 
Garden Court St. , 
Oliver Street, 
Congress Street, 
Girdley Street, 
Hanover, 
Congress Square, 
Brattle Street, 
Avery Street, 
Gas Co.'s Wharf, 
Hull, 
State, 

Congi-ess Street, 
Federal Street, 
Tileston Street, 
Commercial, 
Kilby Street, 
Washington, 
Merchant's Row, 
Hanover, 
Milk, 

Blackstone St., 
Moon, 



School to Boylston. 
Milk to Water. 
School to Dock Square. 
South side of Faneuil Hall. 
Summer St. to Fort Hill Sq 
Liberty Sq. to Broad St. 
High to Purchase. 
State to Dock Square. 
North to Endicott. 
State House to Walnut St. 
Place around Town Dock. 
Washington to South. 
Summer to Congress Sts. 
Prince to Charter. 
Cross to Fleet. 
Hanover to North. 
Washington to Charles. 
Hanover to North. 
Fleet to North. 
High to Purchase. 
High to Purchase. 
High to Purchase. 
Court to Blackstone. 
State to Devonshire St. 
Court to Brattle Square. 
Washington to Tremont. 
Foot of Charter Street. 
Snowhill to Salem. 
Washington to Long Wharf 
State to Water. 
High to Milk. 
North to Salem. 
Charter to Battery. 
State to Milk. 
Summer to School. 
State St. to Faneuil Hall Sq 
Blackstone to Bennett. 
Washington to Broad. 
North St. to Haymarket Sq. 
North to Fleet. 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 



49 



JNewbery fttreel, 
Noi-th Battery, 
Old Way, 
Oliver Street, 
Orange Street, 
Pierce's Alley, 
Pond Street, 
Prince Street, 
Pudding Lane, 
Queen Street, 
Rainsford Lane, 
Salem Street, 
Salutation Alley, 
School Street, 
Sea Street, 
Ship Street, 
Short Street, 
Shrimpton Street, 
Sliding Alley, 
Snow Hill Street, 
South Street, 
South Battery, 
Spring Lane, 
Sudbury Street, 

Summer Street, 
Sun Court, 
Tanner's Lane, 
Tilley's Lane, (clos 
Treamount Sti'eet, 
Turnagain Alley, 
Union Street, 
Water Street, 
West Street, 
White Bread Alley, 
Winter Street, 
Wood Lane, 
Wind Mill Point, 



Washington, 

Battery Wharf, 

Path from Cross 

Oliver, 

Washington, 

Change Avenue, 

Bedford, 

Prince, 

Devonshire St., 

Court, 

Harrison Ave., 

Salem, 

Salutation St., 

School, 

Federal, 

Commercial, 

Kingston, 

Exchange, 

Foster Street, 

Suowhill, 

South, 

Rowe's Wharf, 

Spring Lane, 

Sudbury, 

Summer, 
Sun Court St., 
Congress St., 
ed up,) 
Tremont, 
Temple Place, 
Union, 
Water, 
West, 

Harris Street, 
Winter, 
Richmond St., 



Beach to Summer. 
E. Boston to North Ferry, 
to Snowhill St., now closed. 
Milk St. to Fort Hill Sq. 
Essex to Dover. 
State St. to Faneuil Hall Sq. 
Washington to Kingston. 
Hanover to Commercial. 
State to Water. 
Washington to Hanover. 
Essex St. to Beach. 
Prince to Charter. 
Hanover to Commercial. 
Washington to Tremont. 
Summer to East. 
Fleet to Battery Wharf. 
Bedford to Essex. 
State St., to Dock Sq. 
Charter to Commercial. 
Prince to Charter. 
Summer to East. 
Foot of Broad Street. 
Washington to Devonshire. 
Hanover St. to Haymarket 

Square. 

Washington to Federal. 
Fleet to North. 
Water to Milk. 
Purchase to High. 
Beacon to Hanover. 
West half to Tremont. 
DockSq. to Haymarket Sq. 
AYashington to Congress. 
Washington to Tremont. 
Hanover to North. 
Washington to Tremont. 
Hanover to Commercial. 
Cor. East and Federal Sts. 



50 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

THE MASSACHUSETTS CHARTER. 

We herewith give a reproduction of the charter as at present 
displayed on the walls of the Secretarj-'s Office at the State House. 
It is on rollers, and in our engraving is greatly reduced in size. 

The Eoyal Charter guaranteed to the Massachusetts Company, 
their heirs and assigns, a certain parcel of land in [Massachusetts 
Bay in New England, extending from three miles south of Charles 
river to three miles north of the ]\Ierrimac river, and in breadth 
from the Atlantic to the South Seas. It also gave the company 
power to make laws and elect officers for disposing and ordering 
the general business of the plantation and the government of the 
people. These were extraordinary privileges for those times, and 
made the colonists very independent. They were subjects to the 
crown in name, but were in reality masters of their own public 
afiairs, and the government of the colony was but little different 
from that of the State to-day. Under the Charter they were pro- 
hibited from making laws that should be repugnant to the laws of 
England. It was reported in England that the power of govern- 
ment contained in the Charter was aljused. Commissioners were 
sent to Massachusetts to investigate matters. They reported that 
Quakers, Episcopalians and Baptists were persecuted ; that the laws 
of England regulating trade were entirely disregarded, and that no 
laws Mere of force in ^lassachusetts until confirmed by the Colonial 
Legislature ; that the lives of the Commissioners were in danger, — 
that they were insulted and obliged to leave the country in disgrace. 
A writ of Quo Warranto was issued, and thus ended the first 
Charter of Massachusetts, Oct. 23, 1684. 

The powers of government contained in this instrument have 
been diffci'ently interpreted, and the primary cause of the dissen- 
tions between Ensfland and her American colonies, during the 
Mhole period of the existance of those relations, was the del«ta- 
ble ground between her imperial and their municipal rights. 
Alternate inroads on either side were kept up, which naturally 
ended by bringing into collision the forces of each people, and 
involving them at length in an implacable (\'ar, which commenced 
at Lexington and ended at Yorktown. 

A duplicate of this Charter was sent over, in 1629, to Governor 
Endicott at Salem, and is now in the Salem Athenaeum. 




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Fac-Similes of the First Massachusetts Charter. 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 53 

THE HUTCHINSON HOUSE. 

The picture of the stately mansion here given is a correct rep- 
resentation of the Hutchinson House in the North Square. It 
was prominent as the house attacked by the mob in 1765, and was 
taken down fifty years ago — 1834. It served as the residence of 
the Hutchinson family, viz. Col. Thomas Hutchinson and his son 
Governor Hutchinson from the year 1711 to 1774, when the lat- 
ter left for England, where he died 1780 — The house was built by 
Col. John Foster, in the latter part of the seventeenth century, a 
gentleman who was born at Ayelsboro, m Buckinghamshire, Eng- 
land and came to Boston as early as 1G75, where he Ijecame a rich 
merchant and resided on Charter Street, at the corner of what is 
now called Foster Street, formerly a lane leading from his house 
to his wharf on Commercial Street. He was very active in the 
Andros troubles, was a member of the Provincial Council and 
Judge of the Common Picas Court, from 1G93 to 1711. Hutch- 
inson says most of the pu1)lic documents of that period were in 
his handwriting. Many of the principal citizens of the north part 
of the town became connected with his family in various ways and 
a slight account of his connections is rec]uisite to understand the 
histoiy of this house in question. Colonel Foster purchased of 
Pichard Wharton in 1686 a piece of ground on the N. W. side of 
the North Square, where he erected the house here represented 
and where he resided until his death in 1711 — he died intestate, 
he married previous to 1677, his first wife being the daughter of 
Daniel Turell, a prominent landholder of that day, being the 
grantor to the town of Boston of the land ever since occupied as 
the Cemetry of Copps Hill. The second wife of Col. Foster was 
the daughter of Capt. John Hawkins, whom Gov. Winthrop men- 
tions as being lost on the coast of Spain, in a shipwreck in 1648. 
Capt. Hawkin's second daughter became the second wife of Col. 
Elisha Hutchinson, grandson of the celebrated Ann Hutchinson, 
and had no children. Col. Foster died intestate in 1711, and his 
large property was divided into three parts, J to the widow, and 
^ to each of his daughters. Mrs. Foster died two months after her 
husband, leaving by will the bulk of her estate, including this 
house to her nephew Col. Thomas Hutchinson, the father of the 
Governor who occupied it, (the two father and son) occupying it 
more than sixty years. 



54 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

Col. Thomas Hutchinson was a descendant of William Hutch- 
msou and his famous wife, "that woman of ready wit and hold 
spirit," more than a match for her reverend and magisterial in- 
quisitors. He was a wealthy merchant and councillor, who made 
his native town a sharer in his prosperity l)y founding the North 
End Grammar Scliool. His son, the future governor, was horn 
in this house, which, upon the death of his father in 1739, became 
his, and here he remained while in office, the only one of the pro- 
vincial Governors who did not inhabit the Province House, alleg- 
ing that he had a better house of his own, an assertion amply 
justitied, if we can believe Lydia i\Iaria Child's account of it, 
who describes the mansion in the "Reliels" as follows: "The 
house was of brick, painted a neutral tint, and was ornamented 
in front with four Corinthian pilasters. One of the capitals of 
these is now in the Mass. Historical Liljrary. The Crown of 
Britian surmounted each window. The hall entrance displayed a 
spacious arch from the roof of which a dimly lighted lami) gave 
a rich twilight view. The tinely carved and gildecl arch in massive 
magnificence was most tastefully ornamented with busts and 
statues. The light streamed full on the soul-beaming countenance 
of Cicero, and playfully tliclvcred on the brow of Tulliola. The 
panelling of the parlor was of the dark, richly shaded mahogany 
of St. Domingo, and ornamented with the same elaljorate skill as 
the hall just quitted. The busts of George III. and his young 
queen were placed in front of a splendid mirror with l)ronze 
lamps on each side covered with beautiful transparencies, one rep- 
resenting the destruction of the Spanish Armada, the other giv- 
ing a fine view of a fleet of line of battle ships, drawn up before 
the Rock of Gibraltar. On either side of the room were arches 
sui'mountcd with the arms of England. The lilirary was hung 
with tapestry, representing the cornation of George H., inter- 
spersed with the royal arms. The portraits of Anne and the 
Georges, hung in massive frames of antique splendor, and the 
crowded shelves were surmounted with busts of the house of 
Stuart. In the centre of the apartment stood a table of polished 
oak. The garden of the old mansion extended back to Hanover 
and to Fleet streets. 



G 
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a 

X 



o 

X 

o 

a 




ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 57 

Here Lieut.-Governor Hutchinson surrounded himself with his 
books and works of art ; here he collected precious manuscripts 
and compiled his interesting History ; and here, on the night of 
the 26th of August, 1765, he was sought by an infuriated mob, 
and would have been assassinated but for his daughter's devotion. 
His house was sacked and his rich furniture of all kinds destroyed, 
and his priceless manuscripts scattered to the winds. It is impos- 
sible to estimate the great loss this was to the history of the coun- 
tiy. A few years more of contention, and this courtly represen- 
tative of an ancient and honorable family, this sincere lover of his 
country, this patient student of her history, this skillful man of 
affairs, this persuasive speaker, this upright and merciful judge, 
once so beloved, unable to discern or unwilling to adopt the course 
of the revolutionists, hindered perhaps by his gi-eat possessions, 
preferring to remain on the side that represented law and author- 
ity, and so drew upon himself the wrath of his fellow townsmen, 
fled from his native country and died a broken-hearted exile, look- 
ing fondly back to his birth-place in sunny Garden Court street. 
After Hutchinson's departure, the estate was confiscated, and like 
other confiscated property to which the title was not considered 
good, it was sold for a mere song to Mr. William Little, a re- 
spectable merchant, whose family remained there till its downfall. 
General John P. Boyd, a brother of Mrs. Little's, lived in this 
house for some years. He was a soldier of fortune who, early in 
life, had served the native East India princes with a force raised 
by himself, and brought home his pay in the concrete form of a 
cargo of saltpetre, as tradition reported, and later in life distin- 
guished himself in the War of 1812, and was naval officer of 
Boston in 1830. 

This engi'aving was reproduc€d from the American Magazine 
for February, 1836. 



r>8 ANTIQUE VIEW8 OF BOSTON. 

THE FRANKJLAND HOUSE. 

This House, formerly known as the Clark House, and, during 
the later years of its existence, as the Frankland House, from 
Sir Henry Frankland who was once its owner, was situated in 
Xorth Square, on the corner of Garden Court and Prince street. 
The Clark-Frankland House was a monument of human pride. 
In all colonial Boston there was not its peer, and it was without 
doubt built to outvie that of Hutchinson, Clark's wealthy next-door 
neiirhbor. Fenimore Cooper, the novelest, visited the Frank- 
land House and examined it minutely before he wrote "Lionel 
Lincoln," in which the house is described as the residence of Mrs. 
Lechmere and located on Tremont street. 

It was a well-proportioned liouse, built of brick, of three stories 
in height, looking down upon its two-storied neighbor, an inten- 
tional oversiglit, with a gambrel roof crowned by a balustrade. 
The front was relieved by a row of dormer windows, by a modil- 
lioned cornice, l)y string courses between each storjs and by the 
richly carved pediment and pilasters of the door-way. Passing 
through the door, yon entered a hall of hospitable width, running 
from front to rear, spanned by an arch midway. The front hall, 
lighted by windows on either side of the door, gave access to the 
front parlors ; the rear hall, leading to the sitting-room and kitch- 
en, was lighted by a tall arched window over the stairs. 

The hall with its balustraded stair-case, the parlors and cham- 
bers with their pannelled walls, their deep window-seats, their 
chimney-pieces flanked by arched and pilastered alcoves — all were 
in just proportion and with the classic details handed down from 
the days of good Queen Anne or Dutch William. So far, the 
house, within and without, was only a fine specimen of the man- 
sions of wealthy citizens of the provincial period in and around 
Boston. The feature which distinguished it from its neighbors 
was the rich, elaborate and peculiar decoration of the north parlor 
on the right of the entrance hall. Opposite the door was the 
ample fire-place with its classic mantelpiece, a basket of flowers 
and scroll-work in relief upon its frieze. On the right of the 
chimney piece was an arched alcove, lighted by a narrow window ; 
on the left an arched buflet with a vaulted ceiling. The other 
three walls were divided into compartments by fluted pilasters of 
the Corinthian order, which supported the entablatures with its 
deutilled cornice. The flutings and capitals of the pilasters, the 



n 

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> 

I 

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> 

D 

X 
O 
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GO 




ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 61 

dentils of the cornice, the vault and shelves of the buffet, were 
all heavily gilded. So far, as before mentioned, it was only a 
rich example of the prevalent style. 

The peculiar decoration consisted of a series of raised panels 
filling these compartments, reaching from the surbase to the frieze, 
eleven in all, each embellished with a romantic landscape painted 
in oil colors, the four panels opposite the windows being further 
enriched by the eml)lazoned escutcheons of the Clarks, the Sal- 
tonstalls, and other allied families. Beneath the surbase, the 
panels, as also those of the door, were covered with arabesques. 
The twelfth painting was a view of the house upon a horizontal 
panel over the mantel, from which this engraving was made by 
the Photo-Electrotype process, and beneath this panel, inscribed 
in an oval, was the monogram of the builder, "W. C. At the base 
of the gilded and fluted vault of the Inifi'et was a painted dove. 
The floor was inlaid with divers woods in multiform patterns. In 
the center, surrounded by a border, emljlazoned in proper colors, 
was the escutcheon of the Clarks, with its three white swans. 

The mere enumeration of the details fails to give an idea of the 
impression made by this painted and gilded parlor, not an inch of 
whose surface Ijut had been elaborated by painter, gilder, carver 
or artist, to which the blazoner had added heraldic emblems ; so 
that, as you looked round these walls, the romantic ruins and 
castles seemed placed there to suggest, if not to portray, the old 
homes of a long line of ancestors, and the escutcheons above to 
confirm the suggestion, thereby enhancing the splendor of the 
present by the feudal dignity of an august past. 

The house was erected by the Hon. William Clark, Esq., a 
wealthy merchant and councillor. It is supposed to have been 
built about 1712-1715, for the land was purchased of Ann Hobby, 
widow, and several other heirs, December 10, 1711, for £725 
current money. If so. Councillor Clark lived many years to 
enjoy the sumptuousness of his new house and the envy of his 
neighbors. His death, in 1742, was attributed by some to the 
loss of forty sail of vessels in the French war. After his death 
the estate was conveyed to his son-in-law. Deacon Thomas Green- 
ough, for £1,400, old tenor, and was by him sold to Sir Charles 
Henry Frankland, Bart., for £1,200 sterling. Sir Harry Frank- 
land, as he was familiarly called, heir to an ample fortune, and, 
what added to his interest here, a descendant in the fourth gener- 



62 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

ation i'rom Oliver Cromwell, came to this country in 1741, as Col- 
lector of the port of Boston, preferring that ofEce to the Govern- 
orship of Jlassachusetts, the alternative oflered him by George II. 
Upon an official visit to ^Marblehead, he was struck by the radiant 
beauty of a young girl of sixteen, maid-of-all-work at the village 
inn, bare-legged, scrubbing the Hoor ; inquired her name, and, 
upon a subsequent visit, with the consent of her parents, conveyecl 
her to Boston and placed her at the best school. The attachment 
he conceived for her appears to have been returned, though Sir 
Charles did not offer her marriage. The connection between this 
high official and his fair protege causing scandal, Frankland pur- 
chased some 500 acres of land in Hopkinton, which he laid out 
and cultivated with taste, built a stately country-house and exten- 
sive farm buildings, and there entertained all the gay comi)auions 
he could collect with deer and fox hunts without, with music and 
feasting within doors, duly attending the church of his neighbor, 
the Rev. Roger Price, late of King's Chapel, Boston, of which 
Frankland had been, from his arrival, a member. Called to 
England by the death of his uncle, whose title he inherited as 
fourth baronet, he journeyed to Lisbon, and there, upon All- 
Saints Day, 17.55, on his way to high mass, he was engulfed 
by the earthquake, his horses killed, and he would have perished 
miserably but for his discovery and rescue by the devoted Agnes. 
Grateful and penitent, he led her to the altar, and poor Agnes 
Surriage, the barefooted maid-of-all-work of the inn at JNIarble- 
head, was translated into Lady Agnes Frankland. 

It was upon Sir Harry Frankland's return from Europe in 1756 
that he became the owner of the Clark House, lived in it one 
short year, entertaining continually, with the assistance of his 
French cook, Thomas, as appears by frequent entries in his jour- 
nal ; was then transfeiTcd to Lisbon as Consul General, and so, 
with the exception of brief visits to this country in 1759 and 
1763, disappearing from our horizon. 

After his death at Bath, England, in 1768, his widow returned 
here, but not until she had recorded her husl)and's virtues upon 
a monument "erected by his affectionate widow, Agnes, Lady 
Frankland,"' — dividing her year between Boston and Hopkinton, 
exchanging civilities with those who had once rejected her, till the 
contest with England rendered all loyalists and officials unpopular. 
Defended by a guard of six soldiers, Lady Frankland entered 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 63 

Boston about the tirst of June, 1775 ; witnessed from her window 
in Garden Court street the battle of Bunker Hill, took her part in 
relieving the suflerings of the wounded officers, and then in her turn 
disappeared, leaving her estates in the hands of members of Jicr 
family, thereby saving them from confiscation, which was the fate 
of her neighbor Hutchinson. Upon her death in England in 17.S2 
the town mansion passed by her will to her family, and was sold 
by Isaac Surriage in 1811 for $8000 to Mr. Joshua Ellis, a retired 
North End merchant, who resided there till his death. Upon the 
widening of Bell Alley, in 1832, these two proud mansions (the 
Frankland and Hutchinson houses) long since deserted liy the 
families whose importance they were erected to illustrate and 
perpetuate, objects of interest to the poet, the artist, and the 
historian, alike for their associations with a seemingly remote past, 
their antique splendor, and for the series of strange romantic inci- 
dents in the lives of their successive occupants," were ruthlessly 
swept away. 



64 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

DALTON MANSIOX. 

In 1756, Captain James Dalton purchased an estate in Boston 
lying between Water and Milk streets. At the time of the pur- 
chase the land was occupied by a tan-yard, garden, dwelling houses 
and other structures. These buildings were pulled down. 

In 1758, Captain Dalton built upon the property a Mansion 
House, which was occupied by himself and his family during his 
life, and afterwards by his son, Peter Roe Dalton, during his life. 
The house was three stories high, 46 feet long and 20 feet wide ; 
the back wall of brick, the front and sides of framed timljer and 
rough-cast ; the roof sloping towards the front and ends, but 
without slope toward the rear, where it was supported by the brick 
wall. The front was towards the eastward. 

Soon after its completion, a new street (now Congress street) 
was ordered by a committee of the General Court to be laid out 
through the estate, running from Water to Milk streets. This was 
owing to the rebuilding of that part of the town after the " great 
tire " of 1760. The projected street was partly a re-establishment 
of the old " Leverett's Lane," which ran from King street (nosv 
State) to about the middle of Water street, and which was then 
ordered to be continued through the intervening land from Water 
street southwardly to Milk street. The new portion of the street 
was to pass through Capt. Dalton's land, east of his dwelling- 
house, in such a manner as to divide it very unequally. 

In 1761, Capt. Dalton addressed a memorial to the General 
Court, setting forth the facts and praying that the location of the 
new street, between Water and Milk streets, might be moved 
farther to the westward in his estate and to join Milk street oppo- 
site Atkinson (now Congress), and furthermore agreed with the 
Town Treasurer to require no compensation for his land taken for 
the new street, and also with Frances Borland, an abuttor, to pay 
him any loss he might sulier by the alteration if the change was 
made. The street was laid out as proposed by Capt. Dalton, and 
was at first known as " New street," afterwards called " Dalton's 
Lane," and finally " Dalton street," until 1800, when the name was 
changed to " Consfress street." 

The estate is now owned l)y the United States, and is covered 
by the New Post Office and Court House. 

Capt. Dalton, in his early life, was a seafaring man. He com- 
manded vessels sailing between Boston and London and other 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTOK 69 

foreign ports, and subsequently engaged in mercantile and shipping 
business, trading to Southen ports. West Indias, Europe and the 
British Provinces, and sending his sons as supercargoes in his ships. 
He died April 21, 1783, aged 65 years, and was succeeded by his 
son, Peter Roe Dalton, who, during the Revolution, was Dei)uty 
Commissary-General of Supplies of Issue in the Continental Ser- 
vice. In 1782, he was appointed by the General Court on the 
committee for settling the accounts of the Board-of-War. also for 
adjustins the claims consequent upon the Penobscot expedition in 
1771). He was afterwards cashier of the Massachusetts Bank, and 
subsequently was appointed cashier of the United States Branch 
Bank in Boston. He occupied the Mansion until his death in 1811, 
aged 68 years. 

OLD HOUSE ON PRINCE STREET. 

This old building has no particular historic interest connected 
with it. We show it here as a specimen of the old buildings yet 
remaining at the North End. It is reproduced from an etching 
made by" Darius Cobb, who says: "This broken-down piece of 
antiquity is situated on the corner of Prince and Margaret streets. 
The spectator will not mistake it for an edifice on the Back Bay. 
The aristocratic eye of Nature, however, has fashioned it to delight 
the seeker of picturesque objects. The buildings around here date^ 
far back of the Revolution," its rear neighbor claiming the start of 
a full century. Up on Margaret street 'Marm Shippen' used to 
put bars across the road to keep her cows from straying out of 
the pasture (Copp's Hill) . A section of the spire of Christ Church 
is seen in the distance." 



?0 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

THE OLD FEATHER STORE. 

Two views are here presented of the old Feather Store. The 
first a full page engraving was drawn and engraved by the 
Photo- Electrotype process, from a painting presented to the ilas- 
sachusetts Historical Society in 1871, by W. H. Whitmore ; who 
painted the original is not known but its accuracy of outline is un- 
questioned. There are but few views of this antique structure in 
existance and the one here given is particularly valuable for the 
street view and surrounding buildings shown. 

The " Old Cocked Hat," or the " Feather Store" as it was more 
familiarly known stood at the corner formed by North street and 
Market Square, and bore the date of its erection 1680, plainly up- 
on the gable end facing Dock Square, until the whole structure 
was demolished in 1860. Its name " Old Cocked Hat " was deriv- 
ed from a fancied resemblance to the cocked hats worn during the 
war of Independence. Its later name arose from the fact ot its 
long being occupied by dealers in feathers, a bag containing which 
and inscribed ' ' Feathers " will be seen suspended from one of its 
windows in the engraving. The Ixiilding was of wood, covered 
with plaster on the outside, with which were mixed fragments of 
glass bottles. Numerous ornamental figures were traced upon this 
rough surface. On two sides, south and south west, the water 
once flowed, and in digging not far from here, some years ago to 
settle a disputed l)oundary question, the capstan and ring l)olt of 
the old whai'f were uncovered within the present sidewalk. The 
second view of this venerable building is taken from a dift'erent 
point of observation from the first one. The drawing was made a 
short time before its destruction in 1860, and shows the building 
as it is most generally remembered by the present generation. 

Snow says that the principal apothecary shop of the town was 
kept here. From the numerous emblematic and other long signs 
shown in the accompanying full page engraving there is no doubt 
but what " Thomas Hollis, Druggist and Apothecary," did quite a 
thriving business. 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTOJST. 



75 



JUXIENS RESTOKATOR. 

The old Julien House stood at the corner of Milk and Congress 
Streets, on the site of the New Post Office, and must ever remain 
an object of interest to all gastronomers. It was called " Julien's 
Eestorator," and was the first establishment noticed with this dis- 
tinctive title ; all the rest were taverns or boarding houses. 

M. Jean Baptiste Julien was the inventor of that agreeable^jo^ 
ar/e " St. Julien Soup." He came to this country as" cook to the 
celebrated Dubuque, who was a refugee from the French Revolu- 
tion. The old house with its gables, overhanging upper stories, 
and huge chimney, was taken down in 1824, and succeeded by 
Julien, afterward Congi-ess Hall. Its site was once a tan-yard. 
After ]\I. Julien's death in 1805, his widow succeeded him, keep- 
ing the house for ten years. It is supposed to have been built 
about 1760. 




julien's RESTOKATOR. 



CFormerly stood at the corner of Milk and Congress Streets, on the site of the new Post Office.) 

A peculiar fact in connection with this site is that the buildings 
that have stood upon it have born a charmed existence in the midst 
of two of the greatest fires Boston has ever experienced. In 



76 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

March, 1760, a fire broke out on Cornhilland hurncd nearly every 
building, south of that locality to Long Wharf and Fort Hill. 
One hundred and seventy-four buildings ])^ping destroyed. Julien's 
Restorutor was then occupied by a Mr." Calfe as a dwelling, and all 
the houses fi-om the one next to it to the foot of Milk street were 
consumed. In the great fire of November, 1872, the New Post 
Office stood like a bulwark between the devouring element and the 
buildings back of it, until the flames had spent their force. 

The remains of this noted restaurateur of the town — Monsieur 
Julien — lie in the Central Burying Ground. The inscription on 
the stone that marks his resting place reads : 

IN MEMORY OF 

ME. TOHN B. JULIEN, 

WHO DIED JUNE 30TH., 1S05. 

AET. 52. 
In hope of that immortal bhss, 
To rise and reign where Jesus is, 
His flesh in peaceful slumber lies 
Till the last trump shall sound, arise I 

There are those who tliink that this famous man lived many 
years later, undoubtedly, because the widow carried on the busi- 
ness after his decease, as was advertised in one of the obituary 
notices of her husband, and perhaps, because his famous soup is 
not yet excluded from sumptuous bills of fare on festive oc- 
casions. 



THE LAMB TAVERN. 

The Adams House on Washington street now stands on the site 
of the famous old hostlery the Lamb Tavern — sometimes styled 
the White Lamb. The "Lamb "was an unpretentious building 
of two stories, but of good repute in Old Boston. The sign is 
noticed as early as 1746. Col. Doty kept at the sign of the 
Lamb in 1760 ; Edward Kingman kept it in 1826, after which it 
was conducted successively by Laban Adams, for whom the house 
was named, father of "Oliver Optic" (W. T. Adams), and by 
A. S. Allen. The first stage-coach to Providence, advertised 
July 20, 1767, liy Thomas Sabin, put up at the sign of the Lamb. 



The White Horse and the Lion Taverns, well known public re- 
sorts, were near neighbors of the Lamb. 



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79 



TRI ANGULAR WAREHOUSE. 

This quaint looking structure stood near the town dock, its site 
now being occupied by the building at the head of North iMarket 
Street, with a moiety in Merchants' Row and Clinton Street and 
was opposite the swing bridge. It measured on the side facing 
the dock forty-eight feet ; on Roebuck passage fifty-one feet, and 
on the rear fifty-five feet. It was a two story building, with stone 
foundaton, and had a good cellar. At eacli anoje and in the 
centre there was a tower, each terminating in a pointed roof of 
slate, and were capped with a stone ball on iron spires set in lead, 
except the middle tower, which had a wooden one. 




TRIANGULAR WAREHOUSE. 

(Formerly stood at the head of North Market Street, between Merchant's Row and CUnton Street.) 

The peculiar architecture of the building and the fact that its 
history was shrouded in doubt led to various suppositious as to 
the purpose for which it was constructed. Its gi'eat strength 
caused many too think it was built for a fort or a Custom House, 
but there is no positive evidence of such being the case, and the 



80 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

general supposition is that it was Iniilt by London merchants for 
a warehouse, aliout 1700. It was torn down in August, 1824, to 
make way for the improvements then inaugurated in that locality. 
At one time it was a place of consideralile business and latterly 
the public scales were kept there. The bricks in the building 
were of larger size than those now used and the foundation stood 
on a sandy marsh. The engraving here given of the building was 
reproduced by the Photo-Electrot3^pe Engraving process from 
Shaw's History of Boston 1817. Snow's History of Boston, published 
in 1825, contains an engraving of this building, which shows 
many altei'ations in the first story, but otherwise is the same. 
Drake's History published in 187(5, also contains a cut of it but 
shows the whole building reversed ; that is the \nndows, etc., which 
are on the right in Shaw's and Snow's are on the left in Drake's. 
This is probably the fault of the engi'aver and has led us to give 
the pi-eference to the works pr.blished at or about the time the 
buildnig was still standing. 



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S. W. VIEW OF THE OLD STATE HOUSE. 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 83 

THE OLD STATE HOUSE. 

This engraviug of the Old State House is one of the best views 
in existence. It was reproduced from the Mass. Magazine for 1793, 
and is a view looiving down State street from Washington street. 
What makes it especially valuable is the view it presents of the 
buildings surrounding it, and the animated appearance of the 
street, with its numerous vehicles, horsemen and pedestrians, 
dressed in the costumes of that period. 

The Mass. Magazine contained the following description of the 
engraviug at the time of its publication. " The present large and 
elegant Plate exhibits a superb S. W. view of the State House, 
with the sketch of several capital buildings improved by mer- 
chants of eminence. The busy scenes of life which are daily act- 
ing on this populous theatre of general resort, are strongly deli- 
neated by the various groups of industrious citizens passing'^to and 
fro, on horse back, afoot or in carriages. The shipping, discov- 
ered at a distance, whose towering masts appear like a rising for- 
est, has a peculiarly line eflect, and the tout ememhh forms the ti- 
nest view that we have ever otiered to our generous patrons." 

The smaller reproduction of the Old State House, presented in 
this collection was published in the Mass. Magazine in 1791, only 
two years earlier and is virtually the same view, the only difher- 
ence of moment, ))eing that the larger one embraces more of the 
surroundings and is fuller in details. 

The Old State House stands on the site of the first Townhouse, 
prior to the building of which it was a market place, the earliest 
in the town. The Townhouse was erected between 1657 and '59 
of wood. It was destroyed in the great fire of 1711. In the fol- 
lowing year 1712, a brick edifice was erected on the same spot. 
This the fire of 1747, consumed and with it many valuable records 
were lost. The present State House was erected the follo^\^ng 
year 1748, but it has undergone many interior changes, the exte- 
rior however presenting nearly the same appearance as when first 
erected. From 1750 to 1830 Faneiul Hall was used as a town 
house, and the first city government was organized there. In 
1830 the cit}^ government removed to the old State House which 
was, on Sept. 17, dedicated as the City Hall. After the Eevolu- 
tion it became the place of meeting of the Legislature, and has 
ever since been called the old State House ; the General Court of 
the Commonwealth was also established here at this time. In 



84 Aj\rTIQUE VIEWS OF £OSTOJ:f. 

1798. tne legislatiu'e moved to the uew State House, ou Beacon 
Hill. In 17G8 it was used as a barrack for British troops ; in 1838 
the United States Post Office, and for many years as the iler- 
chants' Exchange. The Convention that ratitied the United States 
Constitution met here before adjourmng to the Federal Street 
church. The Boston Massacre occurred in front of its doors. 
In it Samuel Adams said •• Independence was born." In Octo- 
ber 1789. Washington received the homage of the people from a 
temporary balcony at the west end. 

The roof and steeple have undergone material changes, the lat- 
ter was considerably higher at one time than now. A sun-dial, 
which foiTnerly adorned the eastern gable has been superseded by 
a clock ; at each end of the edifice were carved figures of the lion 
and unicorn. In the 17th Century, the whipping post was near 
by. The news of the death of George II., and "the accession of 
George HI., and in 177t), the Declaration of Independence were 
read from the balcony. Dm-iug the Stamp Act excitement in 1766 
the mob bm'ned stamped clearences in front of the building. 

Gens. Howe. Clinton and Gage held a council of war in the 
building before the battle of Bunker Hill. In 1778 the Count 
d'Estaiug was here received by Gov. Hancock, and here the Con- 
stitution of the Slate was planned. 

On the widening of Devonshire street, a few years ago. it was 
almost decided to desti'oy this veuei-able building, but Boston was 
saved from this act of vandalism chiefly through the efl'orts of 
William H. "Whitmore. This gentleman also secured the appro- 
priation from the citj- of $35,000 for the purpose of restoring the 
building to as near its original condition as it was possible to make 
it, which he did. even to replacing the lion and unicorn. The 
second story of the building, which was used in the Provincial 
period as the Coimcil Chamber and Kepresentatives" Hall, has 
been reserved from business purposes, and is confided to the cus- 
tody of the "Bostonian Society," that it may be used for the pur- 
pose of a historical museum, where may be deposited such relics 
of the Colonial and Kevolutiouarj" eras as may be entrusted to 
their care. The halls, while occupied b}- this societj-, are to re- 
main open and free to the public. 




S. W. View of the Old State House. 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 87 

THE NEW STATE HOUSE. 

Our first view of the New State House is reproduced from Sliaw's 
History of Boston, 1817, and is one of the earliest prints made of 
the building. The second is from Snow's History of Boston, 1825, 
and shows clearly the Hancock residence with a portion of the com- 
mon, the frog pond and Old Elm in the foreground. 

The State House, or " the hub of the solar system," stands on 
the summit of Beacon Hill, the most commanding situation in the 
city, on a lot which was formerly Gov. Hancock's cow pasture. 
Near the site of this building stood the old beacon, which gave the 
name to Beacon Hill. The corner stone was laid in 1795, and the 
oration was delivered by Gov. Samuel Adams. The customary 
Masonic ceremonies were conducted by Paul Revere, grand master. 
The original cost of the building was $133,000, but several expen- 
sive additions and improvements have since been made. The north 
side was added in 1852 ; and the dome was gilded in 1874, pro- 
ducing a fine effect. It was first occupied in 1798, by the " Great 
and General Court," when the Old State House was abandoned. 

The Iniilding is oblong, measuring 173 by 61 feet. Its height, 
including the dome, 110 feet, and the lantern is about 220 feet 
above the sea level. The main entrance is reached by a succession 
of stone terraces from Beacon street. Two fountains and two 
bronze statues, one of Daniel Webster and the other of Horace 
Mann, ornament the turfed terrace in front of the building. It 
contains several statues and many relics, and geological specimens 
of interest, together with fossils, birds, animals, insects, and shells. 
For the sake of the view, which is very extensive and gives a good 
general idea of the topography of the city, visitors to the number 
of 50,000 per annum climb the 170 steps leading to the cupola 
that surmounts the gilded dome. The building was designed by 
Charles Bulfinch who also designed our national capitol. 

In the Senate Chamber are portraits of the old Colonial govern 
ors : Endicott, Wintlirop, Leverett, Bradstreet and Burnett. A 
fine portrait of Governor Sumner hangs over the President's 
chair. There are also portraits of Francis Higginson, first minis- 
ter of Salem, and of Robert Rantoul. On the front of the gallery 
are some interesting relics of the battle of Bennington, presented 
by General John Stark. They are a musket, drun-f, a heavy troop 
er's sword and grenadier's cap with the curious conical brass plate, 
on which, as well as the brass plate of the drum, is embossed the 



88 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

emblematic horse of the Duchy of Westphalia. Underneath is 
the letter of acceptance, written by order of the General Assembly, 
and signed l)y Jeremiah Powell, President of the Council. Besides 
these are two old lirelocks, bequeathed to the State by Eev. 
Theodore Parker. One of them has the makers name on the lock- 
plate, " Grice, 1762," and an inscription on the butt as follows : 

"THE FIRST FIRE-AKM 

CAPTURED IN THE 

WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE." 

The other is more antiquated in appearance. It has the donors 
name on the lock-plate, and an inscription on the breech which 
reads : 

THIS FIRE-ARM WAS USED BY 

CAPT. JOHN PARKER 

IN THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON, 

APRIL 19th, 

1775- 

In the Hall of Representatives will l)c found the ancient cod-fish, 
suspended from the ceiling — an emlilem of the by gone importance 
of the cod to the state. 

In the rotunda of the l)uilding there is a fine collection of bat- 
tle flags carried by Massachusett's soldiers in the late war. 

In 1889 the State's Ijusiness having outgrown the building, the 
Legislature authorized the construction of the "•State House 
Extension " in the rear of the original Ijuilding. The extension is 
of yellow brick, with trinnnings of white marble. Its design was 
intended to harmonize with that of Bulfinch. The entrance halls 
of the State House are magnificent apartments of marble, the inte- 
rior one, admitting by splendid staircases to the legislative lialls 
al)ove, being particularly imposing. The interior of the extension 
is pleasant, cheerful, well-ventilated, and for the most jjart conven- 
ient. It is occupied by the various administrative and executive 
departments of the Commonwealth and includes two large hand- 
some halls, that of the House of Representatives and the State 
Library, besides various legislative committee I'ooms, etc. The 
Senate remains in the old building. Grounds of considerable 
extent have been taken east of the State House to form open gar- 
dens. These have a fine outlook and are adorned with two monu- 
ments, one to General Charles Devens, who fought in the Civil 
War, the other a lofty granite column Ituilt by the Bunker Hill 
jNIonument Association in 1898, and being a reproduction of the 
brick and stone monument designed l)y Charles Bulfinch and which 
was removed in 1811 when tlie hill was cut down. The four 
tablets at its base are the original ones from the old monument. 



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93 



FRANKLINS BIRTH PLACE. 



The quaint looking structure here presented as tlie Inrth place 
of Boston's most distinguished citizen Benjamin Franklin — was 
reproduced liy the Photo-Electrotype Engraving process, from an 
engraving in Shaw's History of Boston. It stood on the site of 
the Boston Daily Post building, on Milk Street, until destroyed by 
lire on December 20, 1810, shortly after a drawing iiad been se- 
cured. 




BIKTH PLACE OF FKANKLIN. 

(Formerl)' stood on the site of the Boston Daily Post building on Milk Street.) 

Josiah, the father of Benjamin, became a tenant of this bu-ild- 
ing it is thought about 1(385, continuing to occupy it until 1712, 
and, as Benjamin was born on the Gth of January, 170(3, and is 
upon the Old South church records as having received baptism 
the same day, upon this is founded the claim of the old house as 
the place of his nativity. 

Franklin's own statement, to a person worthy of credit, was 
that he was born at the south-east corner of Union and Hanover 



94 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

Streets, while other evidence goes to contradict it. That his early 
youth was passed here is certain. 

The Hanover-Union Street building was quite small and of two 
stories, to which a third was added in latter times. It was parti- 
ally destroyed by lire in 1858, and in the same year the city tore 
it down in the widening of Union Street. When Hanover Street 
was widened the old site was partially taken for that. It was the 
intention of the owner to have removed the Franklin Ijuilding to 
another location but it was found impracticable. Two relics of it, 
however, are preserved. The blue ball, the sign used by his 
father, as a tallow chandler, is in the possession of the ftunily of 
the late General Ebenezer W. Stone, of Boston, and a chair, made 
from the original timbers, was presented to the Mechanic Charitable 
Association. 

The Milk Street building, here represented, fronted upon the 
street, was rudelj' clapboarded, and the sides and rear were pro- 
tected from the weather by large rough shingles. On the street 
it measured about twenty feet, and on the sides including a kit- 
chen about thirty feet. The tire by which it was destroyed was 
communicated to it by a livery stable. It was at this time that 
the Old South meeting house had such a narrow escape from des- 
truction and was saved by the exertions of our late fellow-citizen, 
Isaac Harris, Esq., for which he received a silver testimonial. 

The portrait on the following page was reproduced from a steel 
eno'raving, illustrating Poor Richards Proverbs : the portrait and 
illustration being printed all on one sheet. This portrait is con- 
sidered to be an "excellent likeness of Franklin. 




BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 



96 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 



THE HOME OF COTTON MATHER. 

On Hanover street near the corner of Prince street stood the 
building in which Cotton Mather hved for thirty years. In 1882 
it was taken down and the present structure erected, on the front 
of which is the inscription, " Miller 1882," this being the name of 
the present owner of the site on which the ^Mather home stood for 
two hundred and twenty-five years. No one knew where the site 
of the Cotton Mather house was till the writer, after months of 
research in the Registry of Deeds and Probate Court, obtained the 
following information wliich located it : 

John Gallop was the fii-st grantee of the land on which Cotton 
Mather's liome stood. The section or locality was known as Gal- 
lop's Point. Gallop disposed of it to Jolui Sunderland, who cut it 
up into building lots about 1650. The first owner of the Cotton 
jNIather lot was John Maj'o, and as there is no deed showing 
how Mayo became possessed of it, it is probable that Sunderland 
gave him the lot to build his house on, when in 1655, on account 
of some difference and dissent, he left liis church at Nausett in 
Plymouth and was ordained the first pastor of the Second Church 
or Old North in November, 1655. In 1672, being old and infirm, 
he resigned his pastorate and removed to Barnstable in 1673. 
He then sold his liome to Abraham Gording, a sea captain, for 
the sum of £200. The house is described as being at the "North- 
erly end of Boston fronting upon tlie Middle street leading from ye 
water mill." Lying in breadth on said street thirty-eight feet more 
or less and in depth one hundred and twenty feet, signed March 
24, 1673. Gording retained possession of tliese premises fifteen 
years, and then conveys it to Cotton Mather for £200, July 25, 
1688. Cotton Mather owned this estate for thirty years during 
the most important period of his life, and it was here that his most 
noted works were written. On June 6, 1718, he disposed of it to 
Joseph Turin, a sea captain, for £500 current money of New Eng- 
land, probably ]>aper money of a de|ireciated value. In 1741 
Tv;rill mortgaged it to James Bowdoin for the. sum or quantity of 
four hundred and ninety-four ounces five pennyweights Troy 
weight of coined silver sterling alloy. This was the era of paper 
money, and our ancestors, it would appear, had as great a dread 
of it as their descendants have to-day. 

Joseph Turin had possession of these premises for thirty-one 
years, for on Dec. 23, 1749, he sold it to Owen Harris, the school- 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 97 

master, for ^£3,300 in good bills of credit. Harris owned this 
estate at the time of his death in 1761. He bequeathed his house, 
which was valued in the inventory at £400, to his wife ; his pew in 
the North Churcli and his negro man Cato he ordered to be sold 
and turned into money to [lay other legatees with. His wife lived 
thirty-two yeare after his death, during which time she occupied 
these premises. She died in 1793, and by her will left the yearly 
rent or income of her brick dwelling house in Middle street to her 
niece for her natural life and then to revert to Peter Thatcher 
Smith, Margrate Whitewell, and jNIargrate Webb, one-third to 
each. These three last-named heire conveyed the estate to Ezra 
Welch, described as miller, for §2,333.33, Nov. 20, 179.5. Welch 
conveyed the estate to Thomas Waldron, Dec. 23, 1796, for the 
sura of #8,000. This was ])robably a bogus sale by Welch in order 
to defraud his creditor, for William Parker obtained judgment 
against Ezra Welch in the Court of Common Pleas held in Boston 
April 3, 1798, to the amount of *4,922.25. Thomas Howe, James 
Harrison, and Nathaniel Johnson, three disinterested discreet 
men, being freeholdere, and chosen by the debtor, creditor, and 
sheriff, upon oath appraised the real estate in Middle street belong- 
ing to the debtor, and after deducting the mortgage and interest 
due on same amounting to #1.667.38 declared tlie equity in said 
estate to be worth #3,499, which equity and seizin was delivered 
to William Parker, the creditor, by the sheriff, agreeable to the 
order of the court June 7, 1798. 

William Parker conveyed the estate to Asa Payson and Edward 
Holbrook for the sum of #5,100 June 17, 1799. 

Thomas C. Amory, merchant, assignee of the estate and effects 
of Asa Payson, and Edward Holbrook, merchant and l^ankrupt, con- 
vey the estate to Peter Bicknell and John White for the sum of 
#5,141, Jan. 10, 1803. 

John White conveyed his undivided onedialf to Henry Hutchin- 
son for the sum of #4,000, Jan. 22, 1807. 

Heniy Hutchinson, sailmaker, conveys to James Percival, mar- 
iner, his one undivided half of said estate for the sum of #3,800 
Sept. 8, 1809. 

James Percival conveys his one-half of the estate to Andrew 
Homer for #5,000 Feb. 17, 1816. 

Anch'ew Homer conveyed his one-half interest to John Howard, 
merchant, for #5,000 July 11, 1817. 



98 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

Peter Bicknell to George Bass, Latter, his one-half interest iu 
said estate for i3,050 Aug. 8, 1822. 

George Bass conveys it back again to Bicknell for same amount 
Aug. J 5, 1822. 

Peter Bicknell, woodwharfinger, for ¥-3,050 conveys his undixided 
one-half to John Howard Aug. 15, 1822. 

This last conveyance gives John Howard possession of the whole 
estate. 

On March IT, 1880, Elizabeth L. ]\leans and Ann jNIaria Conant, 
widow's daughtei's and sole heirs-at-Iaw of John Howard, convey 
the said premises to John Miller for the sum of ■'s2ti,000. Miller 
tore down the old building and erected the present structure. 

From Mrs. Cleans the writer obtained much valuable informa- 
tion. She lived the greater part of her life in the Cotton Mather 
building. She, however, was, not aware that it ever belonged to 
John ]\layo or Cotton Mather. She stated that when her father 
bought the other half of tlie house of Peter Bicknell he let it to 
Henry Ware, the father of Rev. John F. W. Ware, late pastor of 
the Arlington-Street church, who lived there about three years, 
during which his mother and brother died there. After Mr. Ware 
moved out, Captain Atwood, who commanded the packet that sailed 
from Boston to Albany, moved in, and afterward the following- 
named persons came to live here: Mr. (ieorge Thatcher, a merchant 
on Long Wharf, Mr. Samuel Cutter, Zeliina Kaymond. afterward 
Mayor of Cambridge. William Barnicoat, chief of the fire depart- 
ment, was the last occupant before the lower story was altered into 
stores in 1846 when the front of the building was taken down and 
tlie area iu front Iniilt over, thereby making two stores, one of 
which was occupied for the purpose of selling English dry goods, 
and the other for a hat and cap store. 

When the building was altered Mrs. Means preserved the fan light 
that was over the front door, also a pilaster that sui)ported the 
porch, and several blue Dutch tiles from the front of the fireplace 
representing religious subjects which were evidently [)laced there 
by John ^layo or Cotton Mather. The relics, at the re([uest of 
Mrs. Means, the writer presented to the Bostonian Society. The 
illustration of the building was made from a description given by 
Mrs. Means. The sketch, on being shown to old residents of the 
North End, was readily recognized as the residence of John 
Howard. 




King G EORGE the Third, 
Crown'd September 2id lydi- 



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In Adam's Fall, 
We finned all. 



Heaven to find, 
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Christ crucify'd, 
For Sinners dy'd. 



TheDelugedrown'd 
The Eanh around. 

Elijah hid, 
By Ravens fed. 

Thejudgment made 
Felix afraid. 




MR. loHN llocERs, Miniltcr cl ihe 
Gofpel in I.erJjr, was the f.rll Mar- 
tyr HI Queen Mary's Reign, .nnd was burnt 
at Smith/;.-/./. Fell-:/.'?')- 14'b. I; 54. His 
Wife wi'th n;jic fmall Cii;lo:cii, ard or'C 
at her BrcaS. following Kixn ro tlie.S'.ake; 
with wh'ch forrowful biii'nl le »va? '.-c m 
the leall <iaun:ed, bi;; x^i'th woun^^etf'.vi P*''- 
*ncidicd cojragecuny for the Gof;c'. cfjV"'-'-3 

ChriA. ^"^■ 



First Four Pages of the New England Primer. 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 9[) 

THE NEW ENGLAND PEIMER. 

The New England Primer is a very small subject, only about 
three inches square, yet, small as are its dimensions, it is something 
that for a century and a half at least exerted no small influence on 
the creed, the morals, and the institutions of New England. For 
five or SIX generations it was an inmate of every household ; it 
was studied in every school, and its teachings, received in earliest 
childhood, remained as familiar truths when the failing memory of 
age had let go all else save the Bible. It was sometimes called 
the "little Bible of New England." No one knows when the first 
New England Primer was published, or by whom it was compiled, 
or by what artist it was first "Adorned with cuts." As early as 
1691, Benjamin Harris, a printer and bookseller in Boston, adver- 
tised it for sale. 

A single copy remains of an Indian Primer, complied by John 
Eliot, and pi'inted in Cambridge in 1699. This is sixty-eight years 
older than the first edition of the New England Primer of which 
any complete copy can be found. The edition of 1762, printed 
and sold b}' S. Adams in Queen st. , is considered very rare. It con- 
tains for the frontispiece a wood cut of "King George the Third,"' 
also the rude type-metal cut of "Mr. John Rogers, Mmister of 
the Gospel in London, the first Martyr in Queen Mary's Reign, 
about to be bm-nt at Smithfield, his VVife with nine small children 
and one at her Breast following him to the Stake." These two 
pages we have reproduced, and also the title page and the first page 
of alphabetical series of rhymes, and the wood cuts with which 
they are associated, commencing with 

" In Adam's Fall 
We sinned all." 

In the various editions of the Primer these rhymes were changed, 
but the first was suflered to remain untouched. Indeed, if "Adam's 
fall" and its consequences had not been kept in the foreground, 
the New England Primer would have well-nigh lost its identity. 

LOFC. 



100 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

FANEUIL HALL. 

Our first engraving shown here of Faneuil Hall was reproduced 
from the INIass. Magazine for 1789. The second one is reproduced 
from Snow's History of Boston, 1824 ; on this view a white line 
oxhil)its the line of demarcation between the original huildins and 
the addition of ISOfi. Sacredly is the Old Market House, which 
Lovell dedicated to lilierty and loyalty in 1743, preserved and 
treasured. Although much too small for popular gatherings at 
the present day, its long use for that purpose, and the hallowed 
associations connected with it, still mark it as the center from 
which the people of Boston send forth their will. 

" The Cradle of Liljertj^" has been the scene of many and stir- 
ring events. Its sacred walls though silent, echo in language im- 
perishable, the sentiments of the voiceless departed. Therc'is not 
an atom of the plain old structure but what is dear to the hearts 
of the American jieople. In every moment of public exigency,- 
it has held within its walls hearts that were true to the grand old 
principles which have made its name a houshold word. 

In 1740, the people again took up the ^larket-house question. 
Peter Faneuil then proposed to build at his own expense, on the 
public ground in Dock Square, a market, and present it to the 
town, on condition that the to-(sm should legally authorize, regulate 
and maintain it. His munificent proposition was endorsed l)y a 
liare majority of seven out of seven hundred and twenty-se\en 
votes cast. The building was completed in Septemlier, 1742. and 
three daj^s afterward was formerly accepted by the citizens with a 
vote of thanks to the donor. Hon. Thomas Gushing, moderator 
of the meeting was appointed to "wait upon Peter Faneuil, E«q.. 
and in the name of the town to render him their most hearty 
thanks for so bountiful a gift." The town voted to call the hall 
Faneuil Hall forever. John Lambert, the painter, was the first 
architect of Faneuil Hall ; Samuel Ruggles was the builder. 
Originally the building was only intended to be one story, but 
with characteristic generosity, Mr. Faneuil added another story 
for a Town Hall. It was forty by one hundred feet in size, just 
half its present dimensions, and would accommodate one thousand 
persons. The whole interior was destroyed by fire, January, 13, 
17(53. The town was aided in re-building by the State, which 
authorized a lottery with that object. The first meeting after its 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTOK. 105 

rebuilding was Iield March 14, 1763, James Otis delivering tlie 
dedicatory address. In 1806 it was enlarged to its present size, a 
third story being added. The iirst public oration in the hall was 
a funeral eulogy delivered in honor of its donor, Peter Faneuil, 
March 14, 1743, by Master Lovell of the Latin School, and was 
" Recorded by Order of Town." The Hall was dedicated to Liberty 
and Loyalty in the following words : " That this Hall may ever be 
Sacred to the Interests of Truth, of Justice, of Loyalty, of Honor, 
of Liberty. May Liberty alwa^'s spread its Joyful Wings over this 
Place. And may Loyalty to a King under whom \^e enjoy tliit- 
Liberty ever remain our Character." 

On the repeal of the Stamp Act, Faneuil Hall was illuminated, Ijy 
a vote of the town. In the winter of 177,5-6, the British officers, 
under General Howe, gave theatrical entertainments there, princi- 
pally in ridicule of the patriots. The Sunday following the bat- 
tle of Lexington, there was a meeting of citizens held in the hall 
to arrange terms with General Gage, on which they might leave 
the town. The oldest military organization in the United States 
have their armory in Faneuil Hall. They were formed in 1637, 
and are now known as the "Ancient and Honorable Artillery 
Company." 

Faneuil Hall has been the scene of many brilliant social as well as 
other events. In 1778, Count D'Estaing was given there a mag- 
nificent entwtainraent, at which five hundred guests were present. 
When Lafayette was in Boston, in 1784, the merchants gave him 
a dinner at Faneuil Hall. At every toast thirteen cannon, typical 
of the thirteen States proljably, were fired in an adjoining square. 
In the course of the evening a picture of Washington was un- 
veiled, aflecting all present most visably. President Jackson, on 
the occasion of the opening of a new dry dock at Charlestown, 
in 1833, held a public reception at Faneuil Hall. A grand ball 
was there given to the Prince de Joinville, in November, 1841. 
Lord Ashljurton, negotiator with Mr. Webster, of the treaty which 
bears his name, was welcomed to Boston in Faneuil Hall, August 
27, 1842, by Mayor Chapman. Upon the opening of the Grand 
Trunk Railway, the Earl of Elgin, while Governor general of 
Canada, visited Boston with his staff and received the honor of a 
ei-and ball at Faneuil Hall. 



106 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

THE GREEN DRAGON TAVERN. 

But a few steps from Hanover street, in that portion of Union 
street which leads towards the site of the old mill-pond, formerly 
stood an ancient building of considerable notoriety, known in the 
olden time as the Green Dragon Tavern, and even until quite 
recently retaining this distinctive name. It was early a noted 
landmark, even in the lirst century of Boston's history ; and, as 
time wore on, it became as famous as any private edifice — if such 
it could be called, considering the public uses to which it was fre- 
quently put — thut could be found upon the peninsula. 

If its early occupancy and use lirought it into notice, so also was 
new fame added to that which it liad acquired by the gatherings 
of the Revolutionists within its sombre walls during the eaiiy days 
of the American Jlevolution, when Samuel Adams, James Otis, 
Joseph Warren, Paul Revere, and other " Sons of Liberty " in their 
secret councils planned the separation of the colonies from the 
mother country. 

In this noted house Dr. Douglas \\Tote his famous l)Ooks, and in 
it he died. By an agreement of his heirs, made September 27, 
1754, and recorded \vith the Suffolk Records, the old mansion- 
house fell to Catherine Kerr, and she, a widow, by deed dated 
March 31, 1764, conveyed it, for the consideration of £466 lo.s. 
id., to Moses Deshon and others, members of St. Andrew's Lodge 
of Freemasons. Since this date the estate has been in the posses- 
sion of the Lodge, from whom was obtained this engraving of the 
old building. 

The old tavern stood on the left side of the street, formerly 
called Green Dragon Lane, now the northerly portion of Unioii 
street, leading from Hanover street to the old mill-pond, now filled 
up and built upon. It was built of brick, and in its latter days 
was painted of a dingy color. In front it showed only two stories 
and an attic ; but in the rear, from the slope of the land and the 
peculiar shape of the roof, three stories, with a basement, were 
perceptible. It covered a piece of land fifty feet in front and 
thirty-four in depth, and had connected with it a large stable and 
other outbuildings. 

In recent times the lower story was used as the common rooms 
of a tavern, while in the second, on the street front, was a large 
hall used for public as well as for Masonic purposes. 



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The attic story aflbrded ample accommodations foi" sleeping 
apartments. The chimneys were substantially built in the side 
walls, and were of the usual style found in houses built at the close 
of the seventeenth century. 

The attic windows on the front part of the roof, and the Malk 
railed in on the upper part, added much to the appearance and 
comfort of the building, which, in its best days, must have been 
commodious, and comfortably arranged. 

In front of the building there projected from the wall an iron 
crane, upon which was couched a Green Dragon. This peculiar 
mark of designation was very ancient, perhaps as old as the build- 
ing itself. It was formed of thick sheet copper, and had a curled 
tail ; and from its mouth projected a fearful looking tongue, the 
wonder of all the boys who dwelt in the neighborhood. A\'hcn 
the building was taken down, this curious I'elic of the handiwork 
of the ancient mechanics of the tomi disappeared, and has never 
since been found, although most searching inquiries and diligent 
examinations for it have been made among workmen and in the 
collections of dealer's in old material. 

Undoubtedly the famous " Tea Party" of 1773 had its origin 
within the walls of this old mansion ; for it is know^n that severel 
of the most active spirits engaged in it were members of the IMa- 
sonic Lodge that held its meetings there monthly. A Lodge 
meeting called for November 30, 1773, being St. Andrew's Day, 
was closed without the transaction of business in consequence of 
the fewness of the brethren present, and the following words in a 
distinct hand were entered on the page with the record, " (N. B. 
Consignees of Tea took up the Brethren's time.)" 

The meeting which was to have been held on December 16, the day 
of the destruction of the tea, was also given up for the same reason. 

In October, 1828, as the travel from Charlestown had much 
increased, and as the tilling up of the mill-pond had given room 
for many buildings, and therefore required the widening of Green 
Dragon Lane, the old building was taken down by order of the 
city authorities, and a considerable part of its site taken for the 
jiroposed widening ; and then passed almost from remembrance 
the appearance of one of the most noted and interesting land 
marks of the eai'ly days of the town. On its site, and covering 
the whole estate, a large warehouse has been erected by the 
Lodge, which is now, in 1882, occupied as a trunk manufactorj'. 



no ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

THE HANCOCK MANSION. 

There was no nobler private mansion of the Colonial period in 
Boston than the Hancock house. The front of the estate em- 
braced from Mt. Vernon street, given to the town by Governor 
Hancock, to Joy street, formerly Clapboard, and since Belknap 
street. All of the State House and part of the Reservoir ground, 
including Hancock avenue, Mt. Vernon Place, and a part of Han- 
cock street, in which was situated his nursery, belonged to the 
Hancocks. The site of the New State House was Hancock's pasture. 

The main building was of hewn stone, stood about twelve feet 
above the street and fronted the south, commanding a tine view of 
the Common and surrounding country. A low stone wall protected 
the ground from the street, on which was placed a wooden fence. 
A wooden hall, designed for festive occasions, sixty feet in length, 
was joined to the northern wing ; it was afterward removed to Allen 
street. On the west was the coach house, and adjoining were the 
stables. On the elevated ground in the rear was a summer house 
from which opened a capital prospect. West Boston, and the north 
part of the to^ai, Charlestown, Cambridge, the colleges, the bridges 
over Charles and JNI^'stic rivers. To the south and west the views 
were not less enchanting, as they embraced Roxbury, the heights 
of Dorchester, Brookline, and the rugged Blue Hills of Milton and 
Braintree. Upon the east, the numerous islands in the harbor, 
from Castle William to the light house, engaged the eye. 

Here in this old mansion Hancock entertained the distinguished 
men who visited Boston in princely style. Washington, Lafay- 
ette, D'Estaing, Brissot, and others, not less noted, have enjoyed 
the hospitality of this house. At his death Hancock lay in state, 
in the entrance hall, for eight daj's. In 1863 this historic land- 
mark gave way to the demands of mammon, but not until a stren- 
uous but fruitless efi'ort had been made to save it. What a pity ! 

The building was erected by Thomas Hancock in 1737, and 
given to his nephew the Governor, by his aunt, Lydia Hancock. 

The British soldiers pillaged the house about the time of the 
battle of Lexington and it would probably have been destroyed had 
not General Gage sent Percy to occupy it. While Clinton re- 
mained in Boston he occupied it as his head-quarters. Be it said 
to Clinton's credit that the pictures, furniture and building showed 
scarcely any signs of ill-usage during his possession. 

This engi-aving was reproduced from the Mass. Mag. for 1789. 




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BEACON HILL FROM MT. VERNON STREET. 




BEACON HILL FROM DERNE STREET. 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSIUJST. 115 

BEACON HILL. 

On the sunny south-west slope of Beacon Hill the first settler 
in Boston, William Blackstone. located his home. Beacon Hill at 
that time had three spurs : Gentry Hill in the center, Pemberton. 
also known as Cotton, on the east, and West Hill, or Mt. Vernon, 
on the west, and was considered quite a high mountain. 

The summit of Beacon Hill on which stood the ancient Pharos 
of Boston, is intersected by Temple street, named for Sir John 
Temple, who married a daughter of Governor Bowdoin. The tract 
owned by the town was only six rods square, with a roadway of 
thirty feet leading to it. This was sold to John Hancock and 
Samuel Spear in 1811, when the action of the abutters in digging 
down the hill made it untenable. On the top of this grassy mound 
was erected the beacon, used to alarm the country in case of in- 
vasion. It was erected about 1634-35, the town having ordered it 
set on Gentry Hill, as it was then known, with a watch of one per- 
son to give the signal on the approach of danger. The beacon 
was a tall mast, standing on cross timbers placed upon a stone 
foundation and supported by braces. Treenails were driven 
through the mast by which it was ascended, and near the top pro- 
jected a crane of iron, sixty-five feet from the base, upon which 
was suspended an iron skeleton frame, designed to receive a barrel 
of tar, or other combustible matter. 

In 1790 a monument of brick sixty feet in height and four in 
diameter marked the spot. It was erected to the memory of those 
who fell at Bunker Hill, and was designed by Gharles Bulfinch. 
It was a plain Doric shaft, raised on a pedestal of stone and brick 
eight feet high. The outside was encrusted with cement ; and on 
top was a large gilded wooden eagle, supporting the American 
arms. The monument was taken down and the hill levelled in 
1811. The earth which formed the cone was used to fill in the 
Mill-pond, making a foundation for the Lowell and Eastern raihoad 
depots. A new monument of granite, a reproduction of the former 
one, was erected in 1898 on the grounds in front cf the easterly side 
of the new addition to the State House. The four sides of the 
base contain the original tablets that were on the former monu- 
ment. The five engravings of Beacon Hill are reproduced from 
colored Htliographs made by J. H. Bufford m 1857 from drawings 
made on the spot in 1811 by J. R. Smith. 



1 1 6 ANTIQ UE VIE WS OF BOS TON. 

JOY BUILDING. 

The old print from which this engi-aving was reproduced is very 
rare. It was obtained from the New England Historic Geualogical 
Society, and was printed on a hand bill. As it does not appear in 
any of the magazines of the period that the cut was made in, it 
was probably used only for that purpose. Joy's building was 
erected in 1808, on the second site of the First Church, a full 
descrij^tion of which mc have previously given in connection with 
the engraving of the church. The church society sold the site to 
Benjamin Joy, a wealthy citizen, on which he erected this building, 
The stores and dwelling houses on Cornhill, the former name of 
this portion ot Washington street, were so insignificant that when 
Joy's building was erected out-of-town people for miles around 
came in to view the stately edifice, and were greatly astonished at 
its magnificence. It was indeed the " Elephant" of Boston We 
have no direct record of its first tenants, ))ut in 1830, when the 
picture we present was made, many old citizens recollect its oc- 
cupants. The book-selling firm of R. P. & C. Williams, was one 
of the leading firms in that trade. Our well kno^ra and respected 
fellow citizen, Alexander Williams, of the old comer book store, 
was a son of the senior partner. The dry goods firm of Lane, 
Lamson & Co. , which occupied the store in the southerly corner, 
recently occupied by Percival, apothecary, was in subsequent years 
one of the leading silk importing houses of Boston, and is, we 
believe, still doing business in New York. The school kept by 
John Ware in the second story was quite popular in its day. Our 
respected fellow citizen, Mr. Rowland Ellis, was one of its 
scholars. Peeping around the rear corner of Joy's building is seen 
the sign of W. Fenno, of beefsteak memory. " Uncle "Fenno 
and his thrifty wife for many years managed the old Cornhill cofl'ee- 
house in such excellent style that it became a popular resort as a 
lunch house. There are some old citizens yet alive who retain ap- 
petizing recollections of the establishment. The building has no 
remarkable history, nor has anything noteworthy occurred within 
its walls ; yet it is one of those landmarks of Boston which are so 
rapidly disappearing that in a few years nothing will remain to re- 
mind us of these old time architectural monuments. The general 
appearance of the building was not much changed during its exist- 
ence and its walls, built by honest workmen, were so thick and 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 119 

firm that they were able to withstand the pressure of a much higher 
structure. The tenants of Joy's building seem to have been well 
treated and well satisfied with their quarters, judging from the 
tenacity with which they have clung to it. The late Josiah Good- 
ing commenced in the room now occupied by his son, in 1836. 
The late Uriah H. Boyden had a suit of rooms for forty years, and 
Mr. Briggs, the architect, occupied his room for thirty-six years. 
Shortly before the death of the late Charles O. Rogers, he pur- 
chased this estate with the intention of building the most complete 
newspaper establishment in Boston. Had he lived his ideas would 
probably have been fully realized, for he was a man of rare fore- 
sight and executive ability. The Rogers building now occupying 
its site was built iii 1882. 

EXCHANGE COFFEE-HOUSE. 

This engi-aving was reproduced from Snow's History of Boston, 
published in 1825, and the description from Shaw's History of 
Boston, published in 1817. 

It was the most capacious building and most extensive establish- 
ment of its kind in the United States, at that period. It was sit- 
uated in Congi'ess Square, once known by the singular title of 
Half-Square Court, and fronted on Congi'ess street. The early 
history of this structure is that of an unsuccessful speculation, 
which involved individuals in ruin, and seriously injured a large 
class of the community. It was a mammoth afl'air of seven stories, 
tar in advance of the wants of its day, and was completed in 1808, 
having occupied two years and a half in building. It cost half a 
million dollars. Destroyed by tire Nov. 3, 1818. It was rebuilt 
in a less expensive manner, and occupied as a tavern until 1853, 
when it was demolished, giving place to the brown freestone build- 
ing known as " City Exchange," now occupying the site of the old 
building. The front of the Cofl'ee-House, on Congress street, was 
ornamented with six marble Ionic pilasters, and crowned with a 
Corinthian pediment. It had entrances on the State street side and 
from Devonshire street. 

The building was of an irregular shape, i-ather like a triangle 
with the apex cut off, and contained about two hundred and ten 
apartments. It was in the very centre of business and was a stop- 
ping place for stages going or returning from town. A number of 



120 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOlSTON. 

Masonic lodges occupied the upper stories. In its day it was the 
leading hotel of the city, and many distinguished men have been 
entertained there. 

The fire which destroyed the Coflee-House was very destructive. 
The keeper, Mr. Barnum, lost $25,000. Eleven printing offices, 
the Grand Masonic Lodge of the State, and several other Masonic 
Lodges were burned out. The principal floor of the Cofli"ee-House 
was originally intended for a public exchange, which design was 
never executed, as the merchants, from long habit, prefered to 
stand in the street, even during the inclement winter months. 
There was also a convenient cofl'ee room, reading room, a liar and 
drawing room, besides various apartments occupied by pulilic cor 
porations and private individuals on this floor. The dining room 
on the second floor would seat three hundred persons. The re- 
maining floors were occupied as lodging rooms, with a ball room 
and several society rooms. 

Captain Hull, and other Naval and military officers, made the 
Exchange their quarters during the war of 1812. The British 
Captain, Dacres, who became Hull's prisoner after the engagement 
with the Guerriere, lodged here ; the twain afterwards became fast 
friends. It is related that the day on which the Chesapeake left 
Boston to engage the Shannon, then lying outside of the harbor, 
the people of Boston expected an easy and speedy victory under 
so able a commander as Lawi'ence, and prepared a banquet, at the 
Exchange, for the captors on their return from the conflict, to which 
Captain Broke and his officers were to lie invited. The result of 
the encrasement, however was far diflerent from what was ex- 
pected. 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 123 

MONUMENT TO REV. JOHN HARVARD AT CHAELESTOWN. 

Rev. John Harvard, to whose memory the monmneat here pre- 
sented was erected in 1828, was the principal donor to the literary 
seminary at Cambridge, in its infancy, and has generally been con- 
sidered its founder. So important and so large was his donation 
that the civil rulers of Massachusetts, who encouraged and patron- 
ized it from the first, gave it the name of Harvard College, soon 
after the bequest. This was in the year 1638, and the amount 
given by Mr. Harvard was 780 pounds. The magistrates of the 
colony, though comparatively few in number (probably not ex- 
ceeding 5,000) and subject to gi-eat charges and costs in removing 
to this country and preparing for the comfort of their families, in 
1636, agreed to appropriate 400 pounds towards the support of a 
college or school in that place. A large tract of land was soon 
granted to it, and several individuals early made donations of va- 
rious sums. Mr. Harvard's gift was exceedingly opportune, and 
was perhaps almost essential to its continuance, certainly to its 
growth and usefulness. 

Mr. Harvard came to this country in 1637, and resided at 
Charlestown, where he preached for a short time. It is believed 
he was an invalid wlien he arrived, and he died in September, 1638. 
He was educated at Emanuel college in the university of Cam- 
bridge, England, and had the reputation of a good scholar. He 
was sometime a settled minister in that country, but was, no doubt, 
of the class of the puritan clergy, or he would not have emigrated 
from his native land. Very little of the history of this worthy 
man has been preserved. It is evident his estate was considerable, 
compared to most of the clergy of his time. For, though several 
of them were far from being poor, few only had large estates ; and 
those who had a goodly portion of worldly things sacrificed much 
by their removal. It is not known whether he had a family, but 
it is believed he left a widow. There is no record of any will 
made by him in wi-iting, but his bequest to the seminary in Cam- 
bridge was sufficiently legal to take effect. Nuncupative wills have 
always been considered as valid, with proper witnesses whose tes- 
timony is soon afterwards given. The sum Mr. Harvard gave was 
a full moiety of his whole property. He also ordered that his 
library, which consisted of more than three hundred volumes, 
should be given to that infant seminary. 



124 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

The monument was erected by subscriptions of the graduates of 
Harvard College, in small sums. The amount collected and ex- 
pended is not now recollected. The monument is constructed of 
native granite, in a solid shaft of fifteen feet elevation, and in the 
simplest style of ancient art. On the eastern face of the shaft, 
the name of John Harvard is inscribed, with these lines : "On the 
2()th of September, A. D. 1828, this stone was erected by the 
graduates of the University at Cambridge, in honor of its founder, 
who died in Charlestown on the 26th of September, 1638." On 
the western side of the shaft is an inscription in Latin, of the fol- 
loM-ing purport : " One who merits so much from our literary men 
should no longer be without a monument, however humble. The 
graduates of the University of Cambridge, New England, have 
erected this stone, nearly two hundred years after his death, in 
pious and perpetual remembrance of John Harvard." The erec- 
tion of the monument was sanctioned by a large meeting of the 
graduates of the University, who were present on the occasion ; 
when Edward Everett, at that time chief magistrate of jNIassachu- 
setts, and one of the best scholars educated at Harvard college, 
delivered an appropriate and eloquent address. The object was 
not to have a costly and splendid monument, like those erected in 
the old countries of Europe or Asia, l>ut a durable stone to desig- 
nate the grave of a scholar and a christian, and as a token of re- 
spect due to such a man from the friends of learning and religion 
of the present age. It is situated in Charlestown. 

This engraving was reproduced from the American Magazine. 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 127 

HARVAEX) TJNIVERSITT. 

1726—1823 

Harvard University was founded in 1638, and is still adminstered 
under the charter granted in 1650. The principle seat of the 
University is at Cambridge, but several of the departments are in 
Boston. For two generations after the settlement of the country, 
Hansard was the only college in New England. While cherished 
and honored by the State, Hai'vard University has been, from the 
first a private incorporated institution, supported in the main, first 
by the fees of students and secondly by the income from perma- 
nent funds given by benevolent individuals. The value of its 
lands, buildings, collections, and invested fund is roughly esti- 
mated at $6,000,000. 

The first engraving entitled "A Prospect of the Colledges in 
Cambridge in New England," is reproduced from an engraving 
upon a panel belonging to the Massachusetts Historical Society, 
and has a special interest and value, as being the only known copy 
of one of the earliest impressions of the plate first published in 
1726, preserving to us the form and lineaments of the three vener- 
able halls then standing, which were Harvard, Stoughton and 
Massachusetts. The latter is the only one now remaining. Harvard 
was burned in 1764. Stoughton was taken down in 1780. The 
engraving is dedicated to Lieutenant Governor Dummer, and, 
according to the following advertisement in the Boston News Letter 
of July 14, 1726, was first published on that day. "This day 
published. A Prospect of the Colledges in Cambridge in New 
England, curiously engraved on copper ; and are to be sold at Mr. 
Prince's, print-seller, over against the Town House, Mr. Randall, 
Jappaner in Ann Street, by Mr. Steadman in Cambridge, and the 
Booksellers of Boston." This view was discovered only recently, 
mounted on a panel, over which was pasted another view printed 
from this same plate with some changes, and published probably 
as late as 1739 or 1740 and dedicated to Lieutenant Governor 
Phipps. These views were presented to the Society by William 
Scollay in 1795, and measure 24x18 inches in size. In the 
foreground is the chariot of the governor with two oflScers on 
horseback in the act of saluting him as they pass. The students 
are represented as wearing the academic gown. 



128 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

The second view, entitled "View of the Colleges at Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts," and also the description of same, is re- 
produced from the Massachusetts Magazine for 1790, and is as 
follows : Holden Chapel at the left, erected in 1745 at the expense 
of the widow and daughters of Samuel Holden, one of the direc- 
tors of the Bank of England, who was a generous benetactor to 
the religious interests of this country. It was used for the daily 
devotions of the college, and the delivery of lectures by the pro- 
fessors, till the rebuilding of Harvard Hall. While the American 
Army was stationed at Camljridge it became a seat for their Courts 
martial. 

The second building to the left is Hollis Hall, so named in mem- 
ory of Thomas Hollis, of London, a great and liberal benefactor, 
and his nephew Thomas Hollis, the heir of his fortune and liber- 
ality. It is a large, convenient and well built edifice. It was 
besun in 1762 and the keys were delivered with much ceremony, 
January 13, 1763, in the name of the Province, at whose expense 
it was i)uilt. 

The third to the left is Harvard Hall, rebuilt after the fire 
which, in January, 1764, destroyed the old college. It contains 
no private chambers, but is devoted wholly to college purposes. 
The building on the right is Massachusetts Hall. This is the 
oldest of the present numl^er, having been erected in 1720. It 
contains thirty-two chauil^ers for students, and is a strong and 
durable as well as convenient house. At the west end is a very 
good clock. In the space between this and Harvard Hall stood 
Stoughton Hall . The Iniildings which have been descriljed are so 
situated as to form three sides of one quadrangle and t\vo of another. 
Thenumberof students at present (1790) belongingto the University 
is about one hundred and forty." The "South View of the several 
Halls of Harvard College," was reproduced from Snow's Boston, 
and was taken from the balcony of the residence of the president 
of the college in 1823, and shows the following named buildings, 
commencing at the left : Massachusetts, Harvard, Hollis, Stough- 
ton, Holwortby and University Halls. 

CAMBRIDGE COMMON IN 1784. 

Thi.s plan is reproduced from a drawing made by Joshua Green, 
who graduated at Harvard College in that year. The names of the 
buildings and streets have l^een added. The original is in the pos- 
session of his grandson. Dr. Samuel A. Green, Slayor of Boston. 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 137 

FIRST PAPER MONEY OF AMERICA. 

In 1690, the first bills of credit were issued that were known 
in the American Colonies; and then began the reign of paper 
money in this country. These bills were issued just after the re- 
turn of the troops from the disastrous expedition to Canada. 
Hutchinson says: "The government was utterly unprepared for 
the return of the forces. They seem to have presumed not only 
on success, but upon the enemy's treasure to bear the charge of 
the expedition." The soldiers became clamorous for their pay, 
and were nearly at the point of mutiny ; some means must he 
adopted for paying them, and the government decided to issue 
paper money. A committee was empowered to make an immedi- 
ate issue of seven thousand pounds, in bills from five shillings to 
five pounds. Bills of this issue are extremely rare ; we know of 
but one specimen now in existence which seems to be genuine. 
It is in the possossion of Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, a descendant 
of Adam Winthrop, one of the committee who signed the bills. 
We here give an exact reproduction of it by the Photo-Electrotype 
process. In alluding to its rarity, Mr. Winthrop says: ^'It is 
written with a pen, not engraved ; and the seal of the Province is 
very inartistically drawn. One might almost suppose it to have 
been a mere draught of the design for the notes, rather than one 
of the notes themselves. But" it is indented and signed and 
countersigned. The signatures are evidently original, and the 
bill is numbered 4980 on the face and No. 62 on the back." It 
seems that some historians were not aware of the existence of this 
bill, for in "Drake's History of Boston" and in "Felt's Historical 
Account of Massachusetts Currency," they speak of this first 
issue being printed from engi-aved plates, and it is probable that 
later on such was the case, for it would seem strange that so large 
an issue should have been written by hand; the manual labor 
neccessary to have prepared them must have been very great, 
besides the time it must have taken ; and the unavoidable diflerence 
in the looks of the bills, when prepared by diflerent persons, as 
they would neccessarily have to be, would be strong evidence that 
some other method was pursued. This bill, however, bears such 
evident marks of being genuine, that we are led to suppose it was 
one of the first issued, and, in the anxiety of the government to 
pay off the troops at once, the bills were written and Qot engraved. 



138 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

The art of engi'aving also was not practiced to any extent in this 
country at that time, and it would have been difficult to have got 
the plates engraved in England in time to meet the exigency of 
the occasion. For further information, see Article on Currency, 
by Nat. Paine, in Antiquarian Society Pi'oceedings for 1866. 

We have also reproduced two later issues of Colonial and Con- 
-tineutial paper money, which specimens are considered very rare. 



CARAVITHAM VIEW OF BOSTON. 

This is considered to be the oldest known engi'aved view of 
Boston. It is reproduced from a colored print owned by Mr. 
Henry H. Edes, and is supposed to have been engraved between 
1723-30. 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 145 



THE BLAKE HOUSE. 

The Blake House, now the home of the Dorchester Historical 
Society, is one of the oldest and best examples of early colonial 
architecture in Dorchester; it was built by James Blake, the sec- 
ond son of William and Agnes Blake, born at Pitminster, England, 
in 1624. He came to Dorchester with his father about l(3ot3, and 
married Elizabeth Clapp, the daughter of Deacon Edward Clapp, 
in 1(351. It was proljalJy about this time he built his house. He 
wiis much in public business, as the records of Dorchester prove. 
From 1658 to 1685 we find liim in some office almost every year. 
As the minister at that period was the most important pereon in 
the town, it is evident that James Blake's house must have lieen 
one of the very best at that time, for the house is referred to in the 
Dorchester Town Records, page 209, where " At a general meetino- 
of the town the 6. 10. 1669 It was put to the vote to build a house 
for the ministry, to be such a house as James Blakes house is. namely 
38 foote in leuth and 20 foote wid and 14 foote betweeue Joynts 
gert worke " " The vote was in the Affirmative." 

James died Jan. 28, 1700. In his will he saj-s : "I give and 
bequeath to my son John Blake and his heire my dwelling house, 
barne, orchard, yard garden and ten acres of lan"d adjoining more 
or less, it being partly upland and partly meadow," valued at £400. 

John Blake, who thus became the second owner of the property, 
was born March 16, 1657. He was a deacon in the church as his 
father was before him ; he died March 2, 1718, aged 60 years, and 
left no will. There is, however, an agreement on the Suffolk Pro- 
bate Record concerning the settling of the estate in which it states 
" That whereas the said Deacon Jolui Blake died intestate, yet not 
without declaring that his will and pleasure was as to the settling 
of his estate after his decease which was as follows : His mind was 
that Iris two daughters Hannah and Elizabeth should have a con- 
venient Room in the House so long as they or either of them 
should Reinam unmarried and no longer, and that they should not 
have the liberty of letting or in any manner to convey their Right 
therein to any other pei-son." Tliis agreement was dated Nov. 29, 
1719. 

His two sons, John and Josiah, inherited the estate jointly. 
Josiah, who was a weaver, died first, in 1748. Among the funeral 
charges was £1 cash paid to James Foster for gravestones. (These 
stones were obtained from the old slate stone quarry on the Foster 



146 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

estate in South Boston.) The real estate passed to liis brother 
John. Josiah probably died childless. Tins second John Blake 
was a cordwainer, or shoemaker, as we should now say. He died 
in 1773. Wlien the estate was divided his son Sanuiel received 
the westerly part of the dwelling-house, called the kitchen end, 
and also one-third part of the cellar. The three daughtei's, Eliza- 
beth, Hannah, and llachel, who seem to have been all unmarried at 
the time, were given the balance of the house and cellar and half 
of the barn. 

Samuel died in 1781, and the inventory of his property does not 
mention the house, his share of which he had prol)ably made over 
to his sistere. When it was sold to Caleb Williams, in 182.5, it 
was occupied Ijy Miss Rachel Blake, the youngest daughter of 
John. Caleb Williams died in 1842 and left the house and land to 
his widow Jane and two minor children. The interest of the 
minors was bought by their guardian Jane through a third party in 
1847. 

Jane Williams left the property to her son, Josiali F. Williams, 
in 1891. He sold same to Antonia Quinsler in 1892, and Quinsler 
sold the house and 10,898 feet of land to tlie city of Boston in 
1895 for $8,000. 

The original location of the Blake House was on Massachusetts 
avenue and Cottage street, very near its present location. The 
city bought the land for greenhouse purposes and gave the build- 
ing to the Dorchester Historical Society and granted them a site 
for it on Ricliardson jiark, a tract of land recently bequeathed 
to tlie city by the late James Richardson, located opposite the new 
pai-kway near the birthplace of Edward Everett, formerly the home 
of Lieutenant-(TOvernor Oliver, and but a few hundred yards away 
from the home of Richard Mather, Humphry Atherton, the old 
Dorchester burial ground, the site of the first town house and 
meeting house, and fii-st free school in America. 

No more appropriate spot could have possibly been selected than 
this land surrounded by landmarks and memorials of Old Dor- 
chester. 




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A South East View ofthe City of Boston in North America., 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 147 

SAVIN HILL. 

Savin Hill is one of the most interesting historical localities 
within the present limits of Boston. We say within its present 
limits from the fact that it is only within a few years past that the 
old town of Dorchester, of which Savin Hill formed a part, has 
been annexed to Boston, — or, as the old Dorchester families re- 
gard it, " that Boston was annexed to Dorchester," for this town 
was settled somewhat earlier than either Boston or Charlestown, 
and was for some years the rival of Boston. The ship "Mary 
and John," one of the "VVinthrop fleet, became separated from her 
consorts during the voyage and was the first to arrive. On this 
vessel were the first Dorchester settlers, composed of families 
from Devonshire, Dorsetshire and Somersetshire. Capt. Squeb, 
not knowing the harbor, refused to go up it any further than 
Nantasket point, now Hull ; here he put his passengers and their 
goods ashore. They then divided into two parties to explore the 
country. One party of ten men went in a boat up the Charles 
river as far as where Watertown now is. The other party with 
their cattle followed the shore around till they came to a place 
called by the Indians Mattapan (now Dorchester). Joining to 
this place was a neck of land called Mattapannock (South Boston) 
which was a fit place to turn their cattle on to prevent them from 
straying. So they sent to their friends to come away from Water- 
town and settle at Mattapan. Here they began their settlement 
the first of June, A. D. 1630, changing the name to Dorchester 
Plantation. Previous to leaving England it was decided that, for 
purposes of mutual defense and the establishing of social order, 
the settlement must be verj^ compact, and that a ceitain plot or 
pale should be marked out within which everyone should build 
his home. This arrangement was afterwards followed out, and as 
late as Sept. 1635 the General Court ordered "that no dwelling 
house be built more than half a mile from the meeting-house with- 
out leave." The spot selected for the town was what is known as 
Allen's Plain and liock Hill (now Savin Hill). The growth of the 
settlement and the entii'e subjection of the neighboring Indians in 
a few years rendered these regulations needless, and left the in- 
habitants free to exercise their own discretion in selecting their res- 
idences. It seems that many of the Dorchester settlers were trad- 
ing men, who at first designed Dorchester as a place of trade, and 



148 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

accordingly built a fort at Rock Hill, wherein were several pieces 
of ordinance, near the water side ; but the channel being poor 
and the landing difficult, and Boston Harbor being far more com- 
modious, they desisted from that design, and many of them re- 
moved afterward to Boston. 

Among the most notable of the original settlers of Rock Hill 
was Roger Ludlow. He was a brother-in-law of Gov. Endicott, 
and was chosen Assistant or Director of the Company, which posi- 
tion in the Colonial government gave him much influence in the 
Dorchester plantation. In digging his cellar at Rock Hill, in 1631 , 
he found, a foot below the gi'ound, two pieces of French money, 
one coined in 1596, which proves that this place was visited by 
French trading vessels before the English settled liere. In 1634, 
he was chosen Deputy Governor, and in the spring of 1636 he 
removed with others to Connecticut and was chosen Deputy Gov- 
ernor of the new Colony. 

His house, which was probably the best in Dorchester at that 
time, was situated on the east side of Denny street near the foot 
of the hill on which " ye great guns were mounted." He sold his 
house and lands in Dorchester to Capt. Thomas Hawkins. It was 
sold by Hawkins' widow to John Gornell and consisted of 50 acres 
and dwelling-house valued at £110. It was left by Goruell to an 
adopted son Jolui Mason, on the death of Content Mason, the 
widow of John Mason. In 1749 it was sold by her heirs to John 
Wiswell for ,£345 6.s. 8rf. The heire of John Wiswell sold the land 
(the house being destroyed) to William Worthington in 1828 for 
the sum of •'13,250. The Worthington heirs are the present owners 
of the hill. 

Among the other early settlei-s at Rock Hill were Mr. Johnson. 
John Hill, John Eells, Edward Bullock, Nathaniel Patten, Richard 
Baker, and Richard Leeds. All these early settlers afterwards 
removed except the two latter, whose descendants remained here 
until recently. 

Our engraving of the hill is reproduced from a painting in the 
possession of Wm. H. Richardson, made in 1830. Two hundred 
years had elapsed since its first settlement, when it was divided up 
into four-acre home lots, and occupied Ity earnest, energetic settlers, 
that they might here establish a place for trade, and yet, after two 
hunched year's, there were but thi'ee houses on Savin Hill, one of 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 153 

wliicli was Richard Baker's, which occupied the site on which the 
Tuttle house is built. In this engraving Savin Hill probably 
appeai-s about as it did to the first settlers. The view is taken 
from the top of Meeting-house Hill, which is shown in the fore- 
ground ; between it and Sa\-in Hill is the meadow, marsh, and 
creek; on the extreme left is seen a part of the old Tuttle Jiouse, 
in front of which, running towards the hill, can be seen Savin Hill 
avenue, formerly known as "Leeds' Lane." This avenue encir- 
cles the hill ; on the left of it can be seen the old Baker house, 
used during the Revolutionary war for a barracks for the troops. 
The bare spot near the top of the hill shows the rock " where ye 
great guns were mounted." The stone wall and fence at the base 
of the hill, at its junction with the meadow and mai-sh, is where 
the Old Colony Railroad now runs. The mareh and beach beyond 
the fence is the playground and bathing beach recently acquired 
by the city. The plain surrounding the hill is the place where the 
early settlere lived. The stone walls, and in one case an old 
orchard, that remain there, plainly mark the spot where their 
houses were built. The New England Guards camj^ed annually 
on the level ground on the south side of the hill. The illustration 
shown here was produced from an oil painting in the room of the 
Bostonian Society in the Old State House. It shows the camp as 
it appeared in 1819, with the large bell-shaped tents in the fore- 
ground, and the high rocky hill covered with cedar-trees. When 
Lafayette visited Boston in 1824 he attended the camp, and fired 
one of the field pieces, putting a shot through the centre of the 
target. 

It received its present name of Savin Hill from Joseph Tuttle 
when he purchased the old Richard Baker house in 1822 and made 
a seaside hotel out of it. This was one of the firet hotels of this 
description in the vicinity of Boston. It was called Savin Hill on 
account of the large number of savin-trees growing on it. About 
fifty years ago two avenues encircling the" hill were laid out on 
which many fine residences were erected, containing beautifully 
laid out grounds. The pressure of population, however, during 
the past few years has caused several of the estates to be cut up 
into building lots. 

The hill is rocky, and with its woods and the magnificent view 
that can be obtained of the surrounding country from its sunnnit, 
— " where ye great guns were mounted," — cannot be surpassed by 



154 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

any other place in the vicinity of Boston. A person in ascending 
the hill will plunge into a wilderness, where, in some instances, 
progress is forbidden by beetling cliffs and thorny thickets. There 
is not a more desirable spot in Boston for a natural park than this 
historic hill, or where a park can be made for so little expense. 
From time immemorial it has been used by the people for a picnic 
ground, and it should be reserved for this purpose before it is 
built on and it becomes too late, as would then be the case. 

TREMONT STREET MALL, LOOKING NORTH. 

This half-tone illustration is reproduced from a painting made 
by a daughter of General Henry Knox, who resided near the West- 
street wall, shown in the picture. It was painted about the year 
1800, and was purchased by W. W. Greenough and seventeen 
other citizens, and presented to the Boston Public Library. In 
the Trustees' room there is a letter dated March 17, 1875, by B. 
B. Shillber, giving a description of same. This picture was made 
before Park street was laid out. On the left is seen the arch 
foi-ming the West street entrance to the Common, and in the far 
distance at the end of the mall the King's Chapel can be faintly 
seen. On the right is the brick wall that surrounded Swans or 
Wasliington gardens. 

TREMONT STREET MALL, LOOKING SOUTH. 

This view is taken from near the same spot as the previous one, 
but looking in the ojiposite direction. On the right is Boston 
Common with the old wooden fence, and the arch forming the West 
street entrance to the Common. The trees receding along the 
mall disclose the river beyond, and Billy Foster's house, where 
the Hotel Peliiam now stands, on the corner of Boylston street. 
A part of the land was bought for the burial ground. 

On the left is the corner of Tremont and West streets, showing 
the same brick wall as is seen in the previous picture. On the 
opposite corner is the hay scales ; then comes Hatch's Tavern, 
with Fiothingham's carriage-factory in the rear. Farther on is 
seen the old Haymarket Theatre, erected in 1796, said to have 
been the largest and best arranged theatre in America at that 
time. This picture was painted by Robertson for John Howard 
Payne, the author of " Home, Sweet Home." It was purchased 
by tlie Boston Public Library, in September 1871. 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTOX. 157 

THE MINOT HOUSE. 

Tbe artist has reproduced in this sketch a venerable structure, 
wliich enjoyed the peculiar distinction of being the only building 
within the municipality of Boston that was ever attacked by any 
hostile Indians. This building was situated on Chickatawbut 
street, Neponset, Dorchester, whicli territory as far south as the 
Neponset river was annexed to Boston a few years ago. Near 
this spot on this beautiful river were the dwelling places of the 
Massachusetts tribe of Indians, over which Chickatawbut held 
undisputed sway before the arrival of tlie pale-faces on his coast. 
This building was built about 1640, and was destroyed by fire in 
November, 1874. At the time of its destruction it was one of the 
oldest buildings in this part of the country. In July, 1675, the house 
was occupied by the family of John Minot. One Sabbath wliile all but 
the maid-servant and two young children were absent, an Indian, 
who had been watching his opportunity, came to the door and at- 
tempted to enter the house. Finding the door fastened, he tried 
to gain an entrance by the window. The young woman had ob- 
served the Indians motions. She Iwd the presence of mind to hide 
the children under two brass kettles, and then run up stairs and 
charge a musket. The savage, quicker than she, loaded his gun 
and fired, but missed his aim, our heroine now discharged her 
musket and wounded the Indian in the shoulder, but he was not so 
disabled as to give over his design, and still attempted to force his 
way through the window. The maid then seized a shovel full of 
hot coals and thrust into the fellows face. This decided the con- 
test in her favor. The Indian fled to the woods where he was 
afterwards found dead, five miles from the house, his face scorched 
and scarred by the burning embers. This was prol^ably a stray 
warrior of King Phillip's partisans, and was the nearest any hostile 
Indians approached the New England capital during the war. 

The family of Minot, in America, probably originated with 
George, the first settler of this name in Dorchester, and his name 
is especially honored by the Massachusetts Historical Society as 
one of its founders. It is said that in the old burying ground, 
at Dorchester, there was once an old stone with the following in- 
scription : 

'* Here lie the bodies of Unite Humphry and Shicing Minot 
Such names as these never die not. 



158 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTOiY. 



THE PIERCE HOUSE. 



Within a few hundred feet of the Minot house stands another 
old building of about the same date. This Imilding is situated on 
Oak Avenue, Adams street, Dorchester, now a part of Boston. 
It was built by Eobert Pierce in 1640, and has, since his death in 
1664, been occupied by his descendants. 




In the year 1629-30, among the divers godly persons in Devon- 
shire, Somersetshire, Dorsetshire, and other places, who dissented 
from the way of worship then established by law in "ye realnie 
of England in ye reign of King Charles ye first," to use the words 
from an old MS., were Robert Pierce and his wife Anne, who set 
sail from Plymouth, England, in the vessel called the "Mary and 
John," of about 400 tons, commanded by Capt. Squeb. They 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 161 

sailed from Plymouth March 20, 1629-30, having a comfortable 
though long passage, and arrived at Nantasket, now Hull, May 
20th, following. They chartered with Capt. Squeb to carry them 
to Charles river, but after entering the harbor he was uncertain of 
the course, and refused to carry them further than Nantasket. 

Eobert Pierce made his way to Neponset, settled on Pine Neck, 
now Port Norfolk, near the lower part of Walnut street. A few 
years later, previous to 1G40, he moved on to the hill, his boun- 
dary lines running about 40 rods wide from north to south, from 
the tide water on the east, and as far west as it was safe to occupy 
on account of the Indians. He was known as Robert Pierce "of 
the great lotts," and several generations after the term of "the 
gi-eat lots" was used in conveyances to designate property once 
owned by him. 

Several articles of furniture, etc., which he brought from Eng- 
land are now in the possession of his descendants, and, as a 
reminder of home, he preserved two small biscuits, engravings of 
which are presented here, together with that of his house, built 
about 1(340. The frame of the building is of oak, which grew in 
abundance where the house now stands, one stump alone remain- 
ing of the original gi-owth, the others having been blown over in 
the great gale some sixty years ago. Some idea of the size of 
the frame can be obtained from the fact that the timber which 
held the stairs is 10 inches by 12, and all are pinned together with 
wooden tree-nails, like the frame of a ship. The chimney in the 
center, with fireplace and oven, covered the space of a good sized 
room, and across the center of each room the beams remain in 
sight, showing the marks of the axe by which they were hewn 
into shape. The walls still remain packed with sea weed to make 
them warm, and the outside changed only by placing new 
shingles and clapboards where the others were worn away by age. 
The "house has descended from father to son and has always been 
owned and occupied by a lineal descendant. During the Revolu- 
tion Col. Samuel Pierce owned it, and a portion of his regiment 
was quartered here in the attic for a time, while awaiting orders. 
The house is on Oak Avenue, Adams street, that street being for- 
merly the only road from Boston to Plymouth. 



lt'.2 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

VIEW OF BOSTON TAKEN ON THE ROAD TO DORCHESTEE. 
GOVERNOR SHIRLEY MANSION, 

This is the title of our frontispiece, which is one of the most 
valuable engravings in this collection ; it is extremely rare and the 
author is aware of but two copies of it being in existance in this 
city. This copy is reproduced, and also a number of other engrav- 
ings in this work, from a large collection of charts bound in book 
form in the possession of the Massachusetts flistorical Society and 
"Published according to Act of Parliament, May 30th, 177G, by 
J. F. W. Des Ban-es, Esq., for the use of the Eoyal Navy in North 
America." The views were published in connection with the charts 
for the use of the anny and navy then operating in and about the 
vicinity of Boston during the seige of same. In the foreground is 
presented a pastoral scene, beautifully laid out grounds including 
gardens, lawns, pastures, gi-oves, hills, brooks, and a beautiful 
prospect of the South and Back Bays, with a view of the town of 
Boston in the background ; with its tall spires and steeples of meet- 
ing houses and churches, backed by the high hilly land of West 
and Beacon Hill, crowned with the beacon on top, and connected 
with Roxbury on the left by the Neck, which was the only connect- 
ing link Boston had with the main land before the building of the 
bridges. On the right hand of the Neck will be observed the 
South Bay and on the left the Back Bay, on the main land on the 
Roxbury side will be seen a large tine mansion built by Gov. 
Shirley in the middle of the last century, its oaken frame and other 
materials, even the brick, which were of three diflerent sizes, were 
brought from England, at a vast expense. Shirley Place, so the 
governor styled it, is a large square, two-story, hip-roofed struct- 
ure with a stone basement, having a piazza at each end and sur- 
mounted by an observatory enclosed with a railing. This is the 
most elaborate and palatial of the old Roxbury mansions, and not- 
withstanding the vicissitudes it has undergone, it is extremely well 
preserved. One of its peculiarities is its double front, that tiicing 
the harbor on the side farthest from the road being undoubtedly 
the true one. The upjier windows on this side aflbrd a tine view 
of the city, the harbor, and the islands. Each front is approached 
by a flight of stone steps flanked by an iron railing of an antique 
and rustic pattern but now rusted by the elements. Entering the 
northern or proper front you find yourself in a spacious hall of 



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grand proportions. To the right a broad staircase leads to a bal- 
cony extending around to the left, where two doors open into the 
guest chambers, in which Washington, Franklin, Lafayette, Daniel 
Webster, and many other celebrated men have from time to time 
been accommodated. From this balcony the musicians entertained 
the company at the table in the hall. The carved balusters around 
the staii'case and gallery are of three diflerent patterns, and the 
rail surmounting them is inlaid at the top. The base of the balus- 
trade and staircase is also adorned with a carved running vine. 
The ceiling around the main hall is beautifully stuccoed, and its 
floor was originally painted to represent a carpet. To the right 
and left of the hall are doors leading into the reception room, par- 
lors, etc. Upon great occasions the two halls were thrown into one 
by opening the folding doors between. 

Washington paid a visit to Gov. Shirley in March 1756 and re- 
lated to him the circumstances of his sons death, at the battle of 
the Monongahela, where Gen. Braddock was defeated and killed. 
He was well recieved and much noticed by the governor, with 
whom he continued ten days, mixing constantly in society, visit- 
ing Castle William and other objects worthy of notice in the vicin- 
ity, little dreaming that it would one day become the theatre of 
his first gi'eat military achievement. In a letter to his friend Lord 
Fairfax, he says. "I have had the honor of being introduced to 
several governors, especially Mr. Shirley, whose character and 
appearance have perfectly charmed me. His every word and action 
discover in him the gentleman and politician ". 

The old house seems queerly consti-ucted, so nmnerous are its 
compartments and closets ; many of which are let into the solid 
walls. The wine-closets in the guest chamber could douljtless tell 
of many a convivial gathering, and of mirth and jollity unbounded 
in the times gone by. William Shirley was Governor of Massa- 
chusetts from 1741 to 1756. He was the prime mover in the ex- 
pedition against Cape Breton in 1745 which resulted in the capture 
of Louisburg, one of the strongest fortiiications in America, \)y a 
force of four thousand New England men led by Col. William 
Pepperell, aided by a British fleet under Com. Warren. The cel- 
ebrated preacher Whitefleld furnished the motto, " JVil desperan- 
dum christo duci," giving the expedition the air of a crusade 
against the Catholics, made a reci'uiting house of the sanctuary, 
and the stout old Puritan, Parson Moody, one of his followers, 



1 (^.6 ANTIQ UE VIE WS OF B 08T0N. 

joined the troop as chaplain and actually carried an axe on his 
shoulders with which to hew down the Catholic images in the 
churches of the fated city. What a change has now come over the 
scene. Parson Moody would not now have to go far to work out 
his mission of destruction, for within a few rods of the Shirley 
house is now erected a Catholic church and nunnery. Truly time 
works wonders. Gov. Shirley died March 24, 1771, and was in- 
terred in the burying ground of King's chapel, of which edifice he 
laid the foundation stone. His funeral was attended by the 
Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, and three volleys were 
fired over his grave, and as the long procession was moving, a de- 
tachment, at intervals, discharged seventy-six guns, to denote the 
governors age. Shirley was a man of great industry and ability, 
thoroughly able, enterprising and deservedly popular. In 1764 
the estate was bought by Judge Eleakim Hutchinson, Shirley's 
son-in-law. He became a member of the Governor's Council and 
Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas for Sufiblk and died 
in June 1775. Having been a loyalist, his estate was confiscated 
and sold to Hon. John Read. During 1775 it was made a barrack 
for our soldiers and was greatly injured thereby. Col. Asa Whit- 
comb's regiment marched from here to Dorchester Heights on the 
evening of March 4th, 1776. It was afterward occupied by M. 
Dubuque who emigrated from Martinique, and whose cook, Julian, 
kept the celebrated restaurant at the corner of Milk and Washing- 
ton streets, mention of which has been previously made in this 
work. The estate passed through many hands among, them that 
of Giles Alexander, whom tradition says treated his wife so ill that 
one evening a party of young men of some of the best families in 
Boston came disguised to his house, broke off the heads of two 
stone lions who kept guard at the front gate, and wound up their 
frolic by bestowing on the obnoxious proprietor a complete suit 
of tar and feathers. A "labyrinth" in front of the house consti- 
tuted the limit of Mrs. Alexander's prescribed bounds for out-door 
exercise. In 1798 the estate was purchased by Capt. James Magee, 
who, while in command of the privateer brig "General Arnold," 
was shipwrecked in Plymouth Harbor. The brig broke from her 
anchorage in the "Cow yard" and was driven by the violence of 
the gale upon the low sand flats. It was a terrible snow storm and 
so intense was the cold that seventy-eight of the crew including 
the captain were frozen to death, and from the merciless pelting 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 169 

of the waves, which froze hard to them, they looked more like 
solid statues of ice than human bodies. They were all buried in 
one grave on Burial Hill, Plymouth, where a tablet is erected to 
their memory. It was three days before the survivors, twenty- 
eight in number, could be rescued by the men of Plymouth ; they 
had been during that time huddled together on the quarter-deck 
with no extra clothing, with no shelter but the skies, and no food, 
they were more dead than alive when I'escued. Magee's widow 
sold the estate to Gov. Eustis in 1819 and there he passed the re- 
mainder of his days, and died there in 1825, aged 71 years. Gov. 
Eustis was very hospitable, which procured him the acquaintance of 
many persons of distinction. Among the guests that accepted his 
hospitality was John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, 
Aaron Burr and John C. Calhoun. One of his visitore was Lafay- 
ette, the guest of the Nation, and his compatriot in the army ; their 
meeting was very affectionate, they embraced each other for some 
minutes, Eustis exclaiming "I am the happiest man that ever 
lived." While a guest of the Governor's, Lafayette attended a tar- 
get practice by artillery, at Savin Hill, and put a shot through the 
target nearly in the centre. 

The Shirley estate was bought a few years ago by W. Elliott 
Woodward, who cut it up into lots, run a street through the estate 
which was named Shirley street, the mansion was then removed 
from Dudley street, where it had stood for over a hundred years, 
to Shirley street. On the south of the Shirley estate ran the 
brook forming the boundry between Roxbury and Dorchester, it 
can be seen on the right hand side of the engi-aving, entering the 
South Bay. The brook formed what is now known as Brook 
avenue, the brook running through a sewer in the street. 



170 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

VIEWS OF BOSTON, FROM WILLIS' CREEK ON THE NORTH, DORCHESTER 

NECK ON THE SOUTH, AND A VIEW OF THE HARBOR FROM 

FORT HILL. 

These views were reproduced from Des Barre's Coast Charts, 
published in London, in 1776, of which frequent mention has been 
made in this work. The view of Boston from AVillis' Creek, now 
known as Miller Eiver, which separates Cambridge from Somer- 
ville, shows accurately the appearance of Boston, on the north 
side, at the time of the commencement of the Revolutionary war. 
On the right of the engraving will be ol:)served the Charles River, 
which was not crossed at that time by a single bridge. Then comes 
the high lands, forming the western boundary of the town, thence 
running eastei'ly on the slope of the hills, are the buildings, wharfs 
and shipping. Back of the town and shipping, is seen the mem- 
orable Dorchester Heights, from which the second view was taken 
entitled, " A View of Boston from Dorchester Neck," now known 
as South Boston Point. This view shows us the south side of Bos- 
ton taken at the same time as the one on the north. On the right 
of the view is seen Noddle's Island, now East Boston, the en- 
trance to the Mystic and Charles Rivers and the place from whence 
the previous view was taken ; then comes the town and high land, 
consisting of Pembertou, Beacon and West Hills. Still further 
along on the left will be observed the Neck, with the fortifications 
at its narrowest part, over which float the flag of England. Next 
comes the main land, on which the town of Roxbury is situated. The 
water on this side of the Neck is what is now known as the South 
Bay, formerly called Gallow's Bay, on account of the Neck being 
used as the place for executions. The water that can be seen 
on the other side of the Neck is the Back Bay, now filled in and 
built over by the finest residences of Boston. In the background, 
beyond the Neck, will be seen the high lands of Brookline. " A 
View of the Harbor from Fort Hill," presents an accurate view of 
the Harbor, as it appears, looking toward the eastward from Bos- 
ton, and shows all the principal islands and the entrance to the 
harbor quite distinctly. The island the farthest to the right, with 
the buildings on it, is Castle Island, on which was the Castle, now 
called Fort Independence. The next island to the left, which can 
be distinguished by the three trees on the blufl", is Long Island. 
Then comes Governor's or, as it is sometimes called, Winthrop's 
Island, because the island was granted to Governor Winthrop very 






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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 175 

early by the Colonial Legislature. This island is the most promi- 
nent one in the engraving and can be distinguished from the others 
by the row of trees on its southerly side. Then in the distance, be- 
hind the Ijoat's rigging, can be seen Deer Island ; then comes Apple 
Island, with three trees on the northerly side ; the low lying land 
beyond is Point Shirley, on which can be seen four trees ; then 
comes "Winthrop. On the extreme left is seen a high point of 
land jutting out into the foregi'ound, this is Noddles Island, now 
East Boston ; the shoal extending out beyond this point is Bird 
Island Shoal, once an island of considerable size. 



VIEW OF THE TOWN OF BOSTON FROM BREED S HILL, 
OHARLESTOAVN. 

This engraving is reproduced from the Mass. Magazine for 
June, 1791, and the following description accompanies it: " The 
present plate exhibits a perspective view of Boston, the adjacent 
country, and islands of the harbor, as they crowd on the view 
from the memorable heights of Charlestown. It occupies a rich 
variety of scenery, whether the eye is directed towards a town 
that has lately emerged like a phoenix from its ashes, or takes in 
that masterpiece of ingenuity which unites opposing and remote 
points of land together. The towering height of Beacon Hill 
column, the tall spires of majestic steeples, the flag of commerce 
waving on the sturdy mast, the immensity of different buildings, 
the extension of wharves projecting on the billows, the lucid ap- 
pearance of Castle William, the sea-green beauties of the rolling 
flood and smiling fields in summer's robe arrayed, are happily 
united in the charming prospect and arise in such animated gra- 
dations as leaves no vacuum. Perhaps it may not be amiss to 
add that Breed's Hill and Dorchester Heights (both of which are 
within the point of vision,) are the high places of America sacred 
to independence." 



176 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 



THE OLD ELM. 

The following terse history of the " Old Elm" was copied from 
an oval tablet on the iron gate that guards the enelosm-e where 
once flourished this venerable land mark : 

THE OLD ELM. 

This tree has been standing here from an unknown penod. It is believed to have existed 

before the settlement of Boston, being fully grown in 1722. Exhibited marks 

of old age 1792, and was nearly destroyed by a storm in 1832. Protected by an iron 

enclosure in 1854. 
J. V. C. Smith, Mayor. 

During a severe storm in the month of February, 1876, it was 
destroj'ed, notwithstanding the great care taken to preserve it, its 
branches being secured by iron bars, bands and braces. 

For years it was one of the most important historical attractions 
of the Common and it may be said of the city. It was of great 
size, measuring twenty-four feet in circumference and was seventy 
two feet high. It is believed to have been nearly one hundred 
years old when tirst seen by white men, and in Bonner's map of 
Boston, published in 1722, it is indicated as a full gi-own tree. 

A fine young elm now spreads its branches from the iron en- 
closure and bids fair to long perpetuate the memory of the parent 
tree. In the earliest maps of Boston but three trees are shown on 
the Common, one of these was the Old Elm, then known as the 
" Great Tree." Near it stood the Powder House. 

The supposition is that the witchcraft and other executions which 
took place on the Common in our early history were performed 
from limbs of this tree. The shooting of Matoonas, one of King 
Philips' sagamores, is thought to have occurred under its In'an- 
ches, and it is certain that during the revolutionaiy struggles it 
was one of the places of constant resort of the Sous of Liberty. 
j\Iany a tory was hung in effigy from its branches. Perhaps on 
this account it acquired the name of " Liberty Tree," which it bore 
in 1784, in honor of its sister elm long and familiarly known by 
that name at the corner of Essex and Washington Sts., and which 
had been destroyed by the British in 1755. The engraving — 
a Mezzotinte — here given of the Old Elm was reproduced from the 
June number of the Polyanthos for 1813, In addition to the Elm 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 



179 



it shows the Frog pond, with Beacon street at the right and the 
old rope walks at the left. ' ' The view was drawn and engraved," 
the periodical says, "by Master J. Kidder, a youth of Boston and 
is his first essay in the art of aqua tinta." The view was taken 
from the wall near the head of West street. 




P'*tT»lCUiTK:*f.^PV»»:^ 



OLD ELM DESTROYED FEBRUARY 1 5, 1 876. 



The above view of the Old Elm was made from a photograph 
taken a short time before its destruction. A limited edition of 
the Antique Views of Boston is bound with a veneer made from 
this venerable tree, covering the entire back cover, on which is 
printed a view of the old tree and an autograph letter from Mayor 
Cobb (who was mayor of Boston at the time of its destruction) , 
certifying to its authenticity. 



180 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

SOUTH-EAST VIEW FEOII AN EMINENCE NEAR BOSTON 
COMMON, 1790. 

This interesting view was reproduced from tlie IMassachusetts 
Magazine for November, 1790, by the Photo-Electrotype Engrav- 
ing Process. The following descriptive matter is copied from the 
magazine: "The rising ground, from whence the accompanying 
prospect was taken, is situated near Governor Hancock's mansion, 
and commands a beautiful view of the south-east of Boston, with 
a vast extent of private and public buildings, wharves, shipping, 
and water. At a distance are seen, the mcmoral)le heights of 
Dorchester, Avhose formidable appearance in 1776, discomtited the 
military nerves of Britain, and eventually necessitated a retreat 
from the capital of Massachusetts. The great variety of objects, 
that crowd upon the point of vision, are too numerous for detail. 
Suffice it to observe, that the busy din of the town, and the quiet 
stillness of the rural hamlet, appear in striking contrast, and fur- 
nish a luxuriant feast to the contemplative and philosophic mind." 

The engraving shows distinctly the Xeck that connects the town 
with the mainland, to the right of the Neck is seen the Back Bay, 
on the left the South Bay. In the ])ackground, on the extreme 
right, will l)e ol>served the hills of Brookline, Eoxbui-y and Dorches- 
ter, then a gap l>etween the hills which are connected by another 
neck, with three other hills on the left, formerly known as Dor- 
chester Heights, now South Boston. On these three hills are now 
situated the follo^\^ng places : On the one the farthest to the 
right, Thomas Pai-k and the Reseiwoir ; on the middle one, the In- 
stitution for the Blind ; and on the one farthest to the left, In- 
dependence Square. The foreground of this engraving shows the 
Common, the Old Elm and the Tremont Street Mall. The shore 
line of the Back Bay, as shown here, is about where Charles 
street now is. The view was probably taken from the site of the 
New State House. The building in the foreground, at the right, 
is thought to be that of Hancock's or Copely's. Nearly all the 
territory shown here is now included in Boston ; the Public Gar- 
den and the finest residences in the city are located ou what was 
the Back Ba}', the larger portion of which has been filled in dur- 
ing the past twenty-five years. That portion of Dorchester, now 
South Boston, was annexed in 1804, Roxbury in 1868 and Dor- 
■bester in 1870. 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTOIN: 185 

nix's mate island. 

This is supposed to be the only known view that there is in ex- 
istence that shows Nix's Mate Island before its destruction. It is 
copied from Des BaiTe's Coast Charts, frequent mention of which 
has been before made in this work. The site of this island is now 
marked by a peculiarly shaped monument, — a tall pyramid upon a 
stone base, — the whole about thirty-two 
feet in height, and resting on what, at low 
tide, appears to be an extensive shoal, 
covered with stones of a suitable size for 
ballast for vessels. This shoal of about an 
acre in extent is what remains of a once 
respectable island, as far as size is con- 
cerned, as may be seen by the following 
record made in 1636: "There is twelve nix s mate. 

acres of land gi-anted to John Gallop upon Nix's Island, to enjoy 
to him and his heirs forever, if the island be so much." This view 
of the island was taken about 1775, and shows the island very 
much washed away on all sides. Long Island Head, on which a 
licht-house is now situated, is seen on the riirht of Nix's Mate. 
Long Island then stretches away on the left, showing the cove 
where the fishermen now are, which is fringed with trees in this 
engraving. To the right of Long Island Head are seen the hills of 
Dorchester and Roxbury, and the town of Boston. There is a 
story connected with this island, that the mate of a certain Cap- 
tain Nix was executed on it for the killing of his master ; and that 
he, to the time of his death, insisted upon his innocence, and told 
the hangman that, in proof of it, the island would be washed away. 
The island was used for many years for the execution and burial of 
pirates. Captain Frye and others were gibbeted on this island as 
a warning and spectacle to others, especially seafaring men. There 
was once land enough on this island to answer for pasturage ground 
and less than a hundred years back the island was used for the pur- 
pose of grazing sheep. 



186 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

THE CASTLE. 

Very soon after the settlement of Boston, the civil authorities 
began to consider the question of erecting defenses in the harbor, 
in addition to the fort on Foi-t Hill. July 29, 1634, Governor 
Dudley and his Council repaired to Castle Island, with ' ' divers 
Ministers and others," and there agreed upon erecting two plat- 
forms and one small fortification, and the Deputy-Governor, Mr. 
Ludlow, was appointed to oversee the work. This was the tirst 
fortification erected on the island, but in after years it was allowed 
to go to decay, and was abandoned. 

In the year 1643, the inhabitants of Boston experienced great 
alarm and mortification in having their weakness exposed to the 
observation of a foreign power. This was caused by the unex- 
pected arrival of a French armed ship, under La Tour. He, how- 
ever, came on a friendly mission, he and his company being French 
Protestants. It was observed at the time that, had this been a 
hostile ship, it might have carried ofi" the guns of the fort and two 
ships then in the harbor, and even sacked the town. After the 
departure of La Tour, a special court was called by the Governoi 
to act upon the important subject of putting the fort in repair. 
Sevei'al of the towns had determined that if the General Court 
would not repair the fort they would do it at their own expense. 
However, after " much debate," it was decided to grant a hundred 
pounds for its maintenance when it should be in defence and a gar- 
rison of twenty men residing in it. The work of rebuilding the 
Castle was earnestly pressed, and Mr. Richard Davenport was ap- 
pointed to take command of the fort, which position he retained 
till July 16, 1664. when he was struck dead at the Castle by light- 
ning. He was succeeded by Capt Roger Clap, who remained in 
command of the Castle for twenty-one yeai's. March 21, 1674, 
the Castle, being chiefly built of wood, was accidently consumed 
by fire. A new fort was immediately built. In 1689, the fort 
was taken from Governor Andros, without firing a gun. A new 
fort was built, in 1701, of brick, in a very substantial manner, 
and called Castle William, in honor of William the Third. When 
the British evacuated Boston, they destroyed Castle William. 
After the provincial forces took possession, they repaired it and, 
in 1797, its name was changed to Fort Independence, 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 189 

SOUTH BATTEKT. 

As early as 1632, a fort was begun on the eminence then called 
Cornhill, but soon changed to the Fort-Field, and finally to Fort 
Hill. The Bostonians were aided by their brethren in Charles- 
town, Eoxbury and Dorchester ; two years after, it was declai-ed in 
a state of defence. This battery and fort acquired a celebrity as 
the theatre of the seizure and deposition of Governor Andros, by 
the train bands, who approached the hill by the rear and then 
divided, a part going around by the water to the battery. A few 
soldiers in the works retreated up the hill to the main body, and 
the towsmen turned the guns upon them. Andros was forced to 
yield himself a prisoner. The keys of the castle were next ex- 
torted from him, and the bloodless revolution was ended. 

The Sconce or water-battery, which is shown in the foreground 
of our illustration, was probably not built until sometime after the 
main work, perhaps at the time of the Dutch war. It was con- 
structed of whole timber, with earth and stone between, and was 
considered very strong. In time of peace it was in charge of a 
gunner only, but had its company assigned to it in case of danger. 
In 1705, it was commanded by Captain Timothy Clark, who was 
ordered to fui'nish an account of the ordinance, ammunition, etc., 
' ' meete to bee offered hys Grace the Duke of Marlborough Great 
Master of her jMajestye's Ordinance." 

In 1743, the battery mounted thirty-five guns; at this time no 
work appears on the summit of the hill. In 1774, Jeremiah Green 
was Captain, with the rank of Major. The British continued to 
hold it with a garrison, and had a laboratory there. Colonel 
Pomeroy's regiment, the 64th, occupied the Hill in November 1768. 
The Welsh Fusileers, who had won a splendid name for valor at 
Minden, were posted there in 1774, and in 1775, the works con- 
tained four hundred men. After the evacuation, the woi'ks were 
found greatly damaged, but were occupied and strengthened by 
the Americans. Du Portail, chief engineer of the American army, 
came to Boston in October, 1778, to make a survey of the works, 
when this, with others, was strengthened and put in the best pos- 
ture of defence. Subsequently, in 1779, when "Washington was 
fortifying the passes of the Hudson on a great scale, the heavy 
guns were removed from all the works here and sent forward to 
the army against which Clinton was then advancing. 



190 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

NORTH BATTERY. 

The first mention of what was afterwards known as the North 
Battery occurs in the records of January, 1644, when a work at 
Merry's Point was agreed upon. There was, however, no definite 
action taken until 1G64, wlien there appeared propositions about a 
fortification at the North End " att Walter Merry's Point." John- 
son's "Wonder-Working Providence" speaks of the forts on 
Copp's and Fort Hill as ' ' the one well fortified on the superficies 
thereof with store of gi-eat artillerj' well mounted. The other 
hath a very strong battery built of whole timber and filled with 
earth," the latter being the North Battery. In 1706, a project was 
brought before the town to extend the North Battery one hundred 
and twenty feet, with a l)readth of forty feet, and £1000 were 
voted for the improvement and security of the work. John Steele 
had command in 1750. 

The 52nd, 43rd and 47th British regiments, with companies of 
grenadiers and light infantr}^ embarked from the North Battery on 
the day of Bunker Hill, as did also the 1st Battalion of Marines, 
led by Major Pitcairn, of Lexington fame, who fell a victim to the 
murderous fire from the fatal redoul)t while gallantly urging on his 
men to the attack. 

'* Hark, from the town a trumpet ! The barges from the wharf 
Are crowded with the living freight, and now they're pixshing off. 
With clash and glitter, trump and drum, in all its bright array, 
Behold the splendid sacritice move slowly o'er the bay I " 

When Lord Howe evacuated Boston, the North Battery was 
armed with seven twelve pounders, two nine pounders and four 
six pounders, all rendered unserviceable. From its position, the 
work commanded the entrance to Charles River, as well as the 
Town Cove, and was deemed of the highest military importance 
in those days of short-range artillery. The town sold the North 
Battery to Jefl'rey and Russell. It became Jeflrey's wharf be- 
tween 1789 and 1796, and is now Battery wharf, in memory of its 
ancient purposes. 

Our views of the North and South Batteries formed the head- 
ings for certificates of membership of an enlisted " Montross," or 
under gimner. The IMassachusetts Historical Society possesses 
the original copperplate of the North Battery, engraved by Paul 
Revere. The South Batteiy eugi-aving was reproduced from the 
only known copy, belonging to the Essex Institute of Salem. 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 195 

BOSTONIANS PAYING THE EXCISEMAN. 

A short time previous to the Revolution, many cartoons were 
published in Boston and London illustrative of the diiEculties then 
existing between the people and the government. We herewith 
present two characteristic engravings of that period. The one 
entitled "The Bostonians Paying the Exciseman, or Tarring and 
Feathering," is one of a set of cartoons published in London in 
1774, and is here faithfully reproduced by the Photo-Electrotype 
process. The taxing of America was first moved in Parliament in 
March, 1764. The result was the Stamp Act, imposing a tax on 
all notes, bonds, &c. The reception of this news in Boston was 
received with universal indignation, which was boldly expressed. 
The stamp agents were compelled to resign, and the act wholly 
disregarded. This is represented in the Cartoon by the manner 
in which the stamp act is posted on the Liberty Tree, where the 
first resistance to the obnoxious law took place which led to its 
repeal. These disturbances were still fresh in the minds of the 
people when the East India Company sent several vessels to 
Boston loaded with tea. The people declared they would not pay 
any duty on it, and on the arrival of the ships a violent meeting 
took place in Faneuil Hall and the Old South Meeting-House, 
whence a party of thirty men, disguised as Indians, went to Grif- 
fin's Wharf and in less than two hours more than five hundred 
chests of tea were thrown into the harbor. This scene is repre- 
sented in the engraving. It is not probable that any exciseman was 
tarred and feathered ; the object of the Cartoon was to show how 
the authority of the government was wholly disregarded in Boston. 

LANDING A BISHOP. 

The Episcopal form of worship was always disagreeable to the 
Congi'egationalists, but it was the power that endeavoured to im- 
pose it, on which their eyes were steadily fixed. If Parliament 
could create dioceses and appoint bishops, it could introduce tithes 
and crush heresy. The ministry entertained the design of send- 
ing over a bishop to the colonies, and controversy for years ran 
high on this subject. So resolute, however, was the opposition to 
this pi'oject that it was abandoned. This controversy, John 
Adams says, contributed as much as any other cause to arouse at- 
tention to the claims of Parliament. The spirit of the times is well 
represented in a cartoon In the Political Register of 1769, which 
we have reproduced. 



196 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

REVERE VIEW OF BOSTON. 

The history of Boston is closely interwoven with that of the 
American Revolution. The progress of the schemes which finally 
resulted in the acts of Parliament for raising a revenue in the 
Colonies by imposts, the gradual and artful plans for rendering 
the governments in them entirely independent of the people, the 
Act creating a Board of Commissioners to carry into eifect the new 
revenue laws, and the Act for quartering troops among the people, 
for the evident purpose of over-awing them into submission, are 
matters that enter deeply into the history of Boston, and it was 
truly said at the time "If America is saved from its impending 
danger. New England will be its acknowledged guardian." The 
Board of Commissioners here refl:ered to had its headquarters in 
Boston, and the acts of those composing the Board led to serious 
difficulties in the town shortly after. The Stamp Act troubles had 
just ceased and the people were jubilant over the repeal of the 
Act, when one irritating circumstance after another transpired at 
brief intervals which showed the people that one encroachment was 
relinquished only to undertake another. 

The Frigate Romney, of fifty guns, arrived from Halifax ; men 
were pressed from several vessels into the ship's service, which 
greatly incensed the class of people among whom the impressments 
were made, and the merchants believed the Romney had been sent 
for by the Commissioners to enforce the revenue laws. Soon after, 
a sloop belonging to John Hancock, bearing the unfortunate name 
of "Liberty," arrived, loaded with wine from Madeira. As she 
laid at Hancock's whai'f, a party of men went aboard of her, confined 
the officer in charge below, and then took the wine out of her, 
without entering it at the Custom House. Mr. Joseph Harrison, the 
Collector, and Benjamin Hallowell, the Comptroller, decided to 
seize the vessel, and that it would be best to move her under the 
guns of the Romney. Signals were therefore made for the fri- 
gate's boats to come to the wharf. A considerable number of 
people had by this time been attracted to the place, and by the 
time the boats arrived it was with much difficulty and great peril 
that the moorings were cut and the sloop carried off, for the gather- 
ing upon the wharf had now increased to a mob, many of whom, 
supposing that it was another impressment afl'air, became furious ; 
swore vengeance and destruction to the oppressors, as all connected 




LANDING A BISHOP. 




BosTONiANS Paying the Exciseman. 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF B08T0IT. 201 

with the government were called. When it became known that a 
vessel of a popular citizen had been seized, the fury of the mob 
Ivnew no bounds. In this state of exasperation, they fell upon the 
officers, several of whom barely escaped with their lives. ISIr. 
Harrison was severely injured by being struck on the breast with 
a stone ; his son was thrown down and dragged by the hair of his 
head ; and they otherwise barbarously treated Messrs. Hallowell 
and Irving. Inspectors were stoned and beaten with clubs. The 
mob next'went to the house of Mr. John Williams, the Inspector 
General, broke his windows, and also those of the Comptroller, 
Mr. Hallowell. They then took the Collector's boat, dragged it to 
the Common, and there burnt every fragment of it. The Com- 
missioners, feeling no security in their own houses, fled during 
the riot to those of their friends, and, finding these very insecure 
retreats, took refuge on the Eomney and were from there conveyed 
in boats to the Castle, were they remained a long time. Governor 
Bernard M^eut to his country seat at Jamaica Plains. He consid- 
ered himself driven to the last extremity, and plainly saw that a 
crisis had arrived, and his only hope was from a military power. 
The people were accused of being incendiaries, breakers of the laws, 
and of maltreating the king's officers. That there was to be a gen- 
eral resistance of "the people, he was well satisfied. This he wrote 
to Earl Hillsborough, his Majesty's Secretary of State for America. 
When the Minist'ry becam'e advised of this, they immediatly 
ordered two regiments to sail from Ireland to Boston. General 
Gage at New York received orders to remove two regiments from 
Halifax to Boston. Admiral Hood at Halifax was also ordered to 
jiold himself in readiness with his fleet. The people of Boston be- 
came suspicious that an armed fleet was soon to be expected, and 
that preparations had been made by the government to bring troops 
into the town. It was expected that a collision would take 
l)lace, and a desperate attempt would be made against the landing 
of the troops, for at the town meeting, Sept. 15, 1768, a request 
was made that the inhabitants should ' ' provide themselves with 
firearms, that they may be prepared in case of sudden danger." 
Great consternation now prevailed in the town ; the officers thought 
tiie people intended to surprise the Castle, and that a Kevolution 
was inevitable. On Sept. 28, the expected troops arrived at Nan- 
tasket. They came in six ships of war, and consisted of the 14th 
and 29th regiments. Soon after arrived the 59th and a company 



202 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

of artillery. Sept. 30, the vessels of war, now amounting to 
about twelve, sailed up the harbor, and were ranged in a formidable 
manner about the northeast part of the town and came to anchor. 
The next day. in the forenoon, the men embarked in the boats of 
the squadron, and at twelve o'clock were landed at Long Wharf; 
thence they marched up King Street to the common ; here they were 
joined by the artillery company about three o'clock. With these 
were two pieces of cannon. Hei'e the 29th regiment encamped. 
The 14th, in the evening, marched to Faneuil Hall, and a portion 
were quartered in the City Hall (Old State House) ; then the 
main guard was posted opposite the House, and two cannon were 
drawn up, unlimbered and levelled against it. The S'Jth and the 
artillery company were quartered in stores on GrifHn's wharf. 
Thus the town was converted into a garrison. The inhabitants 
could not go about their ordinaiy occupations without being chal- 
lenged at every corner by sentinels. Nothing transpired at the 
landing of the troops bearing a show of opposition by the people. 
All ideas of resistance were stifled, notwithstanding it was reported 
in England the previous August that 10,000 armed men stood 
ready in Boston to oppose the landing of the king's troops. Such 
a display of troops in brilliant uniforms attracted great attention 
and in many cases indignant admiration. 

The accompanying engraving, representing the landing of the 
troops, is an exact reproduction of Paul Revere's well known en- 
graving, reduced slightly in size. 

"PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF BOSTON HARBOR." 

This engraving is considered as a companion view to the Revere 
engraving, illustrating the same subject, ])ut giving an opposite 
view, that of the harbor and islands. It is of great value, as it shows 
the general appearance of the islands at that period. It is repro- 
duced from a water color drawing in the possession of the New 
England Historic Genealogical Society. There is also another 
similar drawing in the Essex Institute of Salem. This is believed 
to be the first engraving made of it. 







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LEET, 1768. 







Perspective View of Boston Harbor and the British Fleet, 1768. 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTOIf. 207 

STATE STREET MASSACRE. 

From the time of the occupation of Boston by British troops, 
in 1768 — admitted by Governor Bernard — frequent collisions 
between the people and the soldiery became quite common. The 
influence of these brutal afi"rays extended fiir and wide, and that 
the soldiers committed frequent outrages is no doubt true, but they 
were greatly exaggerated ; and, probably, in nine cases out of ten, 
the soldiers were the abused party. It was their misfortune to oc- 
cupy an uncomfortable position, and those were to blame that sent 
them, and not the poor soldiers. The tragedy represented by our 
engraving took place March 5th, 1770. It commenced soon after 
nine o'clock on a bright moonlight evening. Two young men, 
named Archibald and Merchant, came down Cornhill together and 
attempted to pass through Boylston's alley, in which a sentinel was 
posted, without answering his challenge. There was in company 
with the sentinel " a mean-looking Irishman," who had in his hand 
a larse cudgel. A scuffle ensued, in which Archibald was struck 
on the arm and jMerchaut had his clothes pierced and his skin 
grazed, and in tm-n he struck the soldier with a stick he had with 
him. The Irishman returned to the barracks to alarm the soldiers, 
and immediately returned with two of them ; by this time the noise 
had brought several people to the place, and one ot them knocked 
the soldier down. The soldiers retreated to the barracks, followed 
by their assailants. Immediately a dozen of the soldiers came out 
armed, and the people dispersed, followed by the soldiers as far as 
Dock Square, where some blows were given and received. The 
officers, however, succeeded in causing the soldiers to return to 
their barracks in Brattle street, where they were followed and be- 
siged by the mob. Then some among the crowd cried out "Now 
for the Main Guard ! Damn the dogs ! Let us go and kill the 
damn'd scoundrel of a sentry !" The sentinel of the Custom 
House, (which stood on the corner of Koyal Exchange Lane and 
King street, and which can be seen in the engraving,) was the ob- 
ject aimed at by a part of the mob,* who pressed upon him crying 
out " kill him, knock him down I " with other similar expressions. 
The poor sentinel retreated up the steps of the Custom House, 

• John Adams, in his " Plea for the Defense of the Soldiers," says : " We have been entertained with a 
great variety of phrases to avoid calling this sort of people a mob. Some call them shavers, some call them 
geniuses. The plain English is, they were, most probably, a motley rabble of saucy boys, Negroes and 
mulattoes, Irish teagues and outlandish jack-tars; and why we shouJd scruple to call such a set of people a 
mob I can*t conceive, unless the name is too restiectable for them." 



208 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

beset by a shower of missels. He loaded his gun, which the mob 
observing, hallooed "Fire and be dammed!" He then tried to 
gain admittance into the house, failing which he called upon the 
Main Guard which was stationed at the Town House, within hear- 
ing. The Main Guard on that day was commanded by Captain 
Thomas Preston, who, learning of the trouble, said " I will go 
there myself to see they do no mischief." The bells were set ring- 
ing, which many supposed was for a fire in King street. Some- 
body told Capt. Preston that it was a plan of the people to give 
notice of an intended massacre of the soldiers, and that a tar-barrel 
was to be tired on Beacon Hill to bring in the people from the 
country. These rumors must have given the officers great alarm. 
Meanwhile the soldiers were pressed upon and insulted by the 
mob, led by a mulatto named Crispus Attucks and a nmuber of 
sailors, to such an extent that the only way they could keep upon 
their feet was by presenting charged bayonets and forming a half- 
circle in tront of the Custom House. The soldiers were unable to 
keep off the crowd, even with fixed bayonets, having their guns 
knocked this way and that with clubs. Capt. Preston, at the 
utmost peril, stood for a time between his men and the molj, using 
every endeavour to prevent further outrage ; but all to no purpose, 
while some called out, " Come on, you bloody backs, j'ou lobster 
scoundrels ! Fire if j'ou dare ! Fire and be dammed I "We know 
you dare not." * Immediately after, a soldier received a severe 
blow from a club, upon which he stepped a little on one side, 
leveled his piece and fired. Captain Preston remonstrated with 
him for tiring, and while he was speaking he came near being 
knocked down by a blow from a club aimed at his head. 

The noise and confusion was now great, some calling out " Fire, 
fire if you dare ! Damn you, why don't you fire I " with horrid 
oaths and imprecations. No one could tell whether Capt. Preston 
or anybody else ordered the men to fire, but fire they did, some 
seven or eight of them. The mob, seeing that the soldiers were 
in earnest, began to leave the ground, fearing the firing might be 
continued. The time occupied thus tar, from the time the attack 
began on the sentinel in King street, had not exceeded a half hour. 
The result of the firing was that three lay dead on the ground, 

* It was understood by the people that no soldier was allowed to fire his piece under any circumstance, 
unless ordered to do so by the Civil Magistrate Gov. Hutchinson, on arriving on the ground, reproached 
Capt. Preston for allowing his men to fire. 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTOJ^. 211 

two mortally wounded and several slightl3^ On the return of the 
people to remove the dead, the soldiers, supposing they were com- 
ing to renew the attack, leveled their guns to fire upon them, but 
the Captain struck them up with his hands and thus prevented 
further bloodshed. A citizen informed the Captain that there were 
5000 people coming armed to take his life and the lives of his men. 
He therefore disposed his men into street tiring parties. The peo- 
ple had set ujd the cry : "To arms ! to arms ! Turn out with your 
guns, every man ! " and the drums were beating to arms in every 
quarter. As the officers of the 29th were repairing to their regi- 
ment, some were knocked do^ii by the mob and very much in- 
jured, and some had their swords taken from them. Under the 
influence of a number of distinguished citizens, aud the Lieut. 
Governor and Col. Carr, the people were persuaded to go to their 
homes, and thus ended the memorable 5th of March, 1770. 

In the morning, a large number of the inhabitants held a town 
meeting at Faneuil Hall. The crowd was immense, and an adjourn- 
ment to the Old South was necessary. A vote was passed, that, as 
it was impossible for the soldiers and people to live together in the 
town, that a committee should be appointed to request their imme- 
diate removal. This had the desii'ed effect, and Col. Dalrymple 
pledged his honor that the troops should be removed immediately, 
and they were removed to the Castle, agreeably to promise. 

Captain Preston and the soldiers engaged in this aflVay were 
an-ested and tried for murder. The counsel for the government 
were Kobert Treat Paine aud Samuel Quincy, and for the prisoners 
John Adams, Josiah Quincy and Sampson Salter Blowers. Adams' 
plea in their defence was very eloquent. Two were found guilty 
of manslaughter aud were branded on the hand with a hot iron in 
open court, and then discharged. All the others were acquitted. 

In 1887, at the instigation of Boyle O'Reilley and the 
negroes of Boston, the Legislature passed a bill authorizing the 
expenditure of $10,000 for the purpose of erecting a monument to 
the memory of the " victims of the Boston Massacre." The monu- 



212 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

ment was erected on Boston Common, notwithstanding the fact 
that the Massachnsetts Historical Society and the New Enghxnd 
Historic fienealogical Society voted unanimously against it. " That 
it was a waste of public treasui-e, that the affray was occasioned liy 
the lirutal and revengeful attack of reckless roughs upon tlie 
soldiers while on duty who had not the civilian's privilege of re- 
treating, but were obliged to contend against great odds, and 
they used their arms only in the last extremity, that the killed 
were riotere and not patriots, that a jury of Boston citizens had 
acquitted the soldiei's." A joint connnittee, comi)osed of members 
of both societies, presented the resolution to Governor Ames and 
requested him to veto the bill. He admitted that "the monument 
ought not to be erected, but if he vetoed the bill it would cost the 
Rei^uljlican party the colored vote." 

The aljsurdity of the Irish and negroes requesting that this 
monument be erected because one each of their race was killed in 
tlie affray can be better understood when the fact is known that 
one of the charges made against these very soldiers was that " Cap- 
tain Wilson, of the Fifty-Ninth, had excited the negroes to leave 
their masters and to repair to the army for protection." 

Dr. Jeffries, who attended Patrick Carr, made a sworn deposition 
that Carr made the following d^-ing statement to him concerning 
his participation in the riot: " He said he was a fool to have gone 
there, that he might have known better; that he had seen soldiers 
often fire on mobs in Ireland, but lie had never seen them bear half 
so much before they fired in his life. He said repeatedly, Ijefore 
he died, that he did not ])lame the man whoever he was tiiat shot 
him, that lie forgave him because he was satisfied he had no malice, 
but fired to defend himself."' 

When the monument was uncovered it presented such an inde- 
cent appearance tliat the City Council immediately voted #250 for a 
new capstone. It now represents a historic lie, and is a sad com- 
mentary on the intelligence of the citizens of Boston. 

(Jur engraving of the " massacre " was I'eproduced from a print 
taken from a copper-plate engraved by Paul Revere. The jilate 
is still in existence, and can be seen at the State House. The 
description of the massacre is compiled from Drake's History of 
Boston. 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTOX. 213 

LIBERTY TREE. 

In 1774 this tree, with another, stood m the enclosure of an 
old-fashioned dwelling at the southeast corner of Essex and Wash- 
ington Streets. In the Washington Street side of the wall of 
the building, now occupying its site, will be found a handsome 
free stone bas-relief, representing a tree with wide-spreading 
branches, this is placed directly over the spot where stood the 
famed Liberty Tree. An inscription says that it commemorates : 

LIBERTY 1765. 
LAW AND ORDER. 
SONS OF LIBERTY: 1776. 
rNDEPENDENCE OF THEIR COUNTRY 1776. 

The open space at the junction of the four corners of Washing- 
ton, Essex, and Boylston Streets was once known as Hanover 
Square, from the royal house of Hanover, and sometimes as the 
Elm neighborhood, fr'om the magnificent elms with which it was 
environed. It was one of the finest of these elms that obtained 
the name of Liberty Tree, from its being used on the first occa- 
sion of resistance to the obnoxious Stamp Act. In 1766 when 
the repeal of the Stamp Act took place, a large copper plate was 
fastened to the tree inscribed in golden chai-acters : — 

" Tins tree xvas planted in the year 1646, and pruned 
by order of the Sons of Liberty, Feb. 14th, 1766." 

In 1775, the tree, having become offensive to the tories and 
their British allies, was cut down by a party led l)y one Job Wil- 
liams. One of their number being accidently lolled in attempt- 
ino- to remove a limb. Some idea of the size of the tree may be 
formed from the fact that it made fourteen cords of wood. The 
ground about the tree was popularly known as Liberty Hall. In 
August, 1767, a flagstaff was erected, which went through and 
above its highest branches. A flag hoisted on this was a signal 
for the assembling of the Sons of Liberty for action. One Cap- 
tain Mackintosh, supposed to have been a blacksmith at the South 
End, was the first Captain-general of Liberty Tree. 




r^*^;;1s*«*«£=^'':'i:^^^-..r: ■?^ 



OLD PROVINCE HOUSE. 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 217 

PAUL EEVERE. 

Paul Revere is a name of which every Bostonian is justly proud. 
He was a native of Boston, but descended from the sturdy Hugue- 
nots, Rivoire being the ancient family name. He was a goldsmith 
by trade, but took up the art of engi'aving on copper, of which 
he has left many specimens. He engraved the plates, made the 
press, and printed the paper money for the Provincial Congress. 
He was the principal engraver in the colony at the time of the 
Revolution, and a number of the illustrations in this work were 
engraved by him. It was due to his skill as an engraver that many 
of the views of that period have been handed down to posterity. 

When the troubles began with the mother country, Paul Revere 
was one of the first to advocate a vigorous resistance to this British 
misrule ; and no patriot stood ready to risk more, or dare more in 
the cause of fi'eedom, than did he. His name stands second on 
the roll of the famous tea-part}' of December 16, 1773. 

In the fall of 1774, and winter of 1775, he organized, in con- 
nection with about thirty other mechanics, a committee for the pur- 
pose of watching the movements of the British soldiers, and gain- 
ing every intelligence of the movements of the tories. They held 
their meetings at the Green Dragon Tavern, and so thorough were 
these self-appointed guardians of the public safety in the search 
for information, that within a few hours from the time that Gen. 
Gage gave the order to march on Lexington and Concord, no less 
than three different messengers came to Paul Revere with the start- 
ling news, notwithstanding Gen. Gage declared that he imparted 
the knowledge to Earl Percy and one other only. 

Our engraving of Paul Revere's habitation and probable birth- 
place was copied from an etching, made by Darius Cobb of this 
city. The building is situated in JS^orth Square and built in the 
old Dutch style, having been erected soon after the great fire of 
1676, which swept away this portion of the old city. Drake tells 
us that from this house Paul Revere gave the striking exhibition of 
ti'ansparencies on the evening of the anniversary of the Boston 
Massacre. The old pump in the rear was never known, when in 
repair, to refuse the purest of spring-water to man or beast ; and 
it continued in constant use until the introduction of Cochituate 
water. Teams would come down from Middle street (now Han- 
over,) and the horses, by putting their heads through an opening 



218 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BO ST OK 

in the fence, could quench the thirst of a dusty day to their satis- 
faction. "What is Lathrop Place, now leading from Hanover street, 
was then a passage-way leading to the rear of this house. On the 
night of April 18, 1775, when the British troops were stationed 
in North Square, this gave the patriot a clear passage, by Middle 
street, to North (Christ) Church, with his lantern, which gave 
warning far and near of the intended march on Lexington and 
Concord. 

At the request of the Provincial Congi'ess, he established the 
first powder mill in the province, and the second in the colonies. 
He went to Philadelphia to visit the only mill in operation, but the 
proprietor would only let him pass through his mill ; this, however 
was enough for a man of his ingenious mind, and he soon estab- 
lished a powder mill at Canton. 

After the evacuation he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of a 
regiment of militia, and accompanied the Penobscot expedition of 
17'79. 

In 1783, after the peace, he established a cannon and bell foundry 
at the North End ; and later, bought the old powder mill at Can- 
ton, where be began the manufacture of rolled copper bolts, spilces. 
etc. The copper bolts used in the construction of the " Constitu- 
tion," " Old Iron Sides," were made by Paul Revere. In 1795 he 
was one of the organizers of the Charitable Mechanics Association, 
and served as its first president. 

The proprietorship of the works at Canton still remains with 
the Revere Copper Company, successors to Paul Revere & Son. 
The president of the company is a grandson of Paul Revere. 

No more striking instance of the immense strides of modern 
enterprise can be found than from the fact that, in 1812, rolled 
copper was sent from Canton to Philadelphia by ox teams ; while 
in 1870, only fifty-eight years later, cars were loaded with copper 
ore on the Pacific coast, and sent to Canton, and returned thence 
to San Francisco laden with copper rolled into sheets and bars. 
Reverc's remains lie in the old Granary Burial Ground. 

Our porti-ait of Paul Revere was copied from a painting in the 
possession of the Charitable Mechanic Association. 



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PAUL REVERE. 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 221 

PROVINCE HOUSE. 

This ancient abode of the royal governors was situated nearly 
opposite the head of Milk street. The place is now shut out from 
view by a row of brick stores standing on Washington street. It 
was built, as a private enterprise, by one of the most opulent 
merchants of olden times, Peter Sargent, Esq., who purchased 
the land of Col. Samuel Shrimpton, Oct. 21, 1G76, and completed 
the building in 1679. It was purchased of his widow by the Col- 
onial Legislature, April 12, 1716, for the use and entertainment of 
the governor of the Province. The price paid for it was £2,300. 
"When the Mansion House became public property it was a mag- 
nificent building. No pains had been spared to make it not only 
elegant, but also spacious and convenient. It stood somewhat 
back in its ample lot, and had the most pleasant and agreeable 
surroundings of any mansion house in town. It was of brick, 
three stories in height, with a high roof and lofty cupola, the 
whole surmounted by an Indian Chief with a drawn bow and 
arrow, the handiwork of Deacon Shem Drown — he who made the 
grasshopper for Faneuil Hall. The house was approached over 
a stone pavement and a high flight of massive stone steps, and 
through a magnificent dooi-way, which might have rivalled those 
of the palaces of Europe. Two stately oaks of very large size 
and magnificent proportions reared their verdant tops on either 
side of the gate separating the grounds from the highway, and cast 
a grateful shade over the approach, through the beautiful grass 
lawn in front of the mansion. Separating the grounds from the 
street w'as an elegant fence with highly ornamented posts. At 
each end of this, on the street, were small buildings which served 
as porters' lodges. 

This palatial mansion was the abode of the following royal gov- 
ernors : Shute, Burnet, Shirley, Pownall, Bernard, Gage, and 
last of all. Sir Wm. Howe. Here was held the council between 
Gen. Gage and Earl Percy, relative to the expedition to Lexing- 
ton, and which ended so disastrously. On the morning of June 
17, 1775, another council of war was held here by Gen. Gage and 
his ofiicers, at which was present Generals Howe, Clinton, Bur- 
goyne and Grant. Grant and Clinton proposed to land the troops 
at Charlestown Neck, under protection of the ships, and take 
the Americans in reverse. This plan, which would have resulted 



222 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

probably in the capture of the entire provincial force, was disap- 
proved by Gage, who feared to place his men, in case of disaster, 
between the intrenched Americans and reinforcements from Cam- 
bridge. It was an anxious consultation, and resulted in the battle 
of Bunker ffiU. 

After the evacuation of Boston, the Province House property 
was confiscated and became a " Government House." The east- 
ern half was occupied by the Governor and Council, Secretary of 
State, and Receiver-General. The other half was the dwelling of 
the Treasurer. In 1811, the State gave the property to the Mass. 
General Hospital, who leased it to David Greenough for ninety- 
nine years. He erected the stores now in front of it, and con- 
verted the building to the uses of trade. It became a tavern, a 
hall of negro-minstrelsy, and was finally destroyed by fire, Octo- 
ber, 1864, leaving only the walls standing, which is all that now 
remains of the Old Province House. Our engraving of it was 
made from sketches taken a short time before it was leased and 
altered over. The royal arms and the Indian vane are on exhibi- 
tion in the Old State House. 

PANORAJnC VIEW FROM BEACON HILL. 

These four views are made from four water-color views in the 
possession of tlie Massachusetts Historical Society, who obtained 
them from Mr. J. Caraon Brevoort, of Brooklyn ; he purchased 
them of Charles Welt'ord about 1858. It was the custom to send 
fnim the foreign and plantation offices such drawings as might be 
of interest to the map makers, and it is supposed that these 
drawings found their way there among such matter. Faden was 
the King's engraver. At a sale of his effects about sixty yeai-s 
ago many such maps and drawings came to light. The views 
contained this inscription : " A view of the country round Boston 
taken from Beacon Hill, shewing the lines, Intrenchments, Re- 
douts, etc. of the Rebels; also the Lines and Redouts of his 
JNIajesties Troops. — N.B. These views were taken by Lt. 
Williams of the R. W. Fuzeliei-s and copied from a Scetcli of 
the original drawn by Lt. Woodd of the same Regiment. The 
original tlrawings are now in the possession of the King." 




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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 



225 



GENERAL GAGE. 

On the 15th of October, 1768, Gen. Thomas Gage arrived in 
Boston from New York. He was a veteran officer, had seen hard 
service under Gen. Braddoci^, being severely wounded at the 
Monongahela battle, and carried a musket ball in his side for the 
remainder of his life as a sad memento of that fatal battle ; there 
he fought side by side with Washington. An intimacy then ex- 
isted between them, which was cherished afterward by a friendly 




THOMAS GAGE, THE LAST ROYAL GOVERNOR. 

correspondence, and which only terminated twenty years after when 
they appeared opposed to each other, at the head of contending 
aiTnies ; the one ol)eying the commands of his sovereign, the other 
upholding the cause of an oppressed people. History repeats itself. 
How many cases similar to this occurred 85 years later, when 
brother officers in arms appeared against each other at the head 
of hostile armies, and friendship and brotherly love was changed 



225 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

to deadly hatred ! General Gage was now in the prime of life,_ 
being about forty-eight years of age. He was the second son of 
Thomas Viscount Gage and served with great credit under several 
commanders at Fontenoy, and Culloden, and in Braddock cam- 
paign. He married an American lady, the daughter of Peter 
Kemble, Esq., president of the Council of New Jersey; he had 
eleven children, six sous and five daughters. A niece of the Gen- 
eral by this marriage was tlie wife of the late Gen. "\Ym. H. Sumner 
of Jaiuacia Plain. Lord Abingdon of Wytham married Emily, 
daughter of Gen. Gage ; her maternal gi-andmother was Margaret, 
daughter of the Hon. Stephen Van Cortlandt of New_ ^'°i'jf • 
Gem Gage was appointed to the government of the colony in 1774 
and occupied the Province House. Here was held the famous 
council between the Governor and Earl Percy, relative to the Con- 
cord expedition that led to the battle of Lexington, which was so 
mysteriously noised abroad, and which Gage declared he had im- 
parted the knowledge of to only one other (supposed to be his 
wife). Even Lieut.-Col. Smith, who was entrusted with the com- 
mand, did not know its destination. As Percy was going to his 
quarters from this interview, he met a number of townspeople cou- 
versino- near the Common. As he went towards them one of them 
remarked, "The British troops have marched, but will miss their 
aim." «' "What aim?" asked the Earl. " The cannon at Concord," 
was the answer. Percy retraced his steps to the Province House 
where the chief heard with surprise and mortification the news that 
the movement was no longer a secret. He declared he had been 
betrayed. If the information was conveyed to Paul Revere by 
Gen. Gage's wife, as many have since been led to believe it was, 
then it is "a parallel case to "that where history again repeats itself 
during the late civil war, when it was commonly reported that the 
wife of the President gave information obtained from her husband 
to her brother, who was an oflicer in the confederate army. 

After the Battle of Lexington and Bunker Hill, Gen. Gage was 
recalled to England. Before his departure he received several tes- 
timonials from°his friends. The Council and the leading loyalists 
presented separate addresses expressing gratitude for his civil and 
military services, and highly eulogistic of his personal character. 
October 10th he sailed for England and Gen. Howe, his successor, 
took command in his stead. Our portrait of Gen. Gage is repro- 
duced fi-om Sumner's History of East Boston. He died April, 
1788, aged about 67. 




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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF B0ST0:N'. 229 



FOUR ORIGINAL BRAMTNGS OF LEXINGTON AND CONCORD, 

April 19, 1775. 
As the interests of Boston were closely connected with the 
march of the British to Lexington and Concord on the 19th of 
April, 1775, the publishers of this work have obtained permission 
of the trustees of the Gary Library at Lexington to copy the four 
original prints which quaintly and, it is believed, correctly repre- 
seiit the action of that remai-kable day. These famous engravings 
are here faithfully reproduced, on a somewhat smaller scale, but 
without embellishment. Their special value consists in the fact 
that they are from drawings made on the spot during the same 
year, with all the assistance which eye-witnesses could give ; and, 
although rude in perspective and in execution, they are regarded 
as the most accurate representations of the battle that have ever 
been made. 

In the American army, which was formed at Cambridge imme- 
diately after the commencement of hostilities, there were two 
young artists from Connecticut, Amos Doolittle, afterwards a 
well-known engi-aver, and a portrait painter by the name of Earl, 
both members of the New Haven company. During their stay at 
Cambridge these young men improved the opportunity of visiting 
Lexington and Concord for the purpose of studying the battle- 
field and making drawings of the several localities, the buildings, 
and the forces "in action. The drawings were mostly made by 
Earl, and afterwards engi-aved by Doolittle, on his return to 
New Haven the same year. The plates were twelve by eighteen 
inches in size, and have lieen claimed to be the first series of his- 
torical prints ever published in this country. The Connecticut 
Journal of Dec. 13, 1775, contains the following advertisement : 

"This Day Published 
And to be sold at the store of Mr. James Lockwood, near the College 
in New Haven, four dififerent views of the battles of Lexington, Con- 
cord, &c., on the 19th of April, 1775. 
" Plate I., the battle of Lexington. 

" Plate IL, a view of the town of Concord, with the ministerial 
troops destroying the stores. 

" Plate hi!, the battle of the North Bridge in Concord. 
" Plate IV., the south part of Lexington, where the lirst detachment 
was joined by Lord Percy. 

" The above four plates are neatly engraven on copper from original 
paintings taken on the spot. 

" Price, sij shilUngs per set for plain ones, or eight shillings colored." 



230 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

These enijravings have now become exceedingly rare. The 
plates werelong since destroyed. In 1832, a reduced copy of 
Plate I. was made by John W. Barber, (afterwards the author of 
"Historical Collections of Massachusetts,") a pupil of Doolittle's. 
Doolittle himself assisted in this engraving, which proved to be 
the last, as its original had been the first, professional work of 
his life. 

PLATE I 
Eepresents the opening scene of the Revolutionary war. Between 
twelve and one o'clock on the morning of the nineteenth of April, 
1775, intelligence reached Lexington that a large body of the 
king's troops had started from Boston under orders, as was sup- 
posed, to seize the provincial stores deposited at Concoi'd. The 
alarm was immediately given and the militia were summoned to 
meet on the village green, the usual place of parade. No farther 
tidings being received, messengers were sent to reconnoitre on the 
Boston road" The militia assembled and waited in arms on the 
common until one of the messengers returned, shortly after three 
o'clock, and reported that there was no sign of the troops any- 
where on the road. Therefore the company was dismissed, with 
orders to remain within call of the drum. The men dispersed 
about the village, some to their homes, others to the Buckman 
tavern, the house on the left in the picture, with the smoking 
chimney. All was again quiet for a time, when suddenly, al)out 
half past four o'clock, a messenger announced that the British 
were within a mile and a quarter of the village, marching rapidly. 
Again the alarm bell was rung, and the drums beat to arms. 
About fifty of the militia, with guns loaded, formed at once in 
two lines, under Captain Parker, on the north side of the green. 
The British force, numbering about eight hundred grenadiers, light 
infantry and marines, under Lieut. -Colonel Smith, had left Boston 
about ten o'clock the previous evening. They had not marched 
far before they found that the news of the expedition had gone in 
advance and alarmed the people in all directions. Colonel Smith 
therefore deemed it wise to send forward six companies under 
Major Pitcairn to secure the bridges at Concord as soon as possi- 
ble, while he sent back to General Gage for re-enforcements. It 
was this detachment under Pitcairn that appears in the center and 
background of the pictm-e. Before reaching the common they 
had been ordered to halt, prime and load, and then, doubling their 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 233 

ranks, they moved on with a shout up to the meeting-house (the 
large three-storied building in the center of the picture), where a 
portion of their number left the road and filed ofl" in platoons upon 
the common. Here they were confronted with the town's militia, 
who had assembled, not for the purpose of attacking the king's 
troops, but to defend themselves and their homes from any unlaw- 
ful violence. They had received express orders not to fire unless 
they were fired upon. Of course fifty men could do nothing 
against six or eight hundred regulars, yet there they stood, ready 
to assert their rights even at the peril of their lives. Major Pit- 
cairn now rode forward on the left of his line, and, denouncing 
the provincials as rebels, commanded them with an oath to throw 
down their arms and disperse. This they refused to do, where- 
upon Pitcairn drew a pistol and discharged it, ordering his men 
at the same time to fire. They did so, and with terrible effect. 
Eight patriots were left dead upon the ground, and ten were 
wounded ! The gallant little company was broken. Cries of dis- 
tress rent the air. Captain Parker, to prevent further slaughter, 
ordered his men to withdraw. As they did so, several of them 
returned the fire, wounding one or more British soldiers and hit- 
ting Pitcairn's horse in two places. When the firing ceased, a 
few red-coats pursued the retreating farmers up the road and over 
into some of the adjacent fields, but they soon returned, and the 
whole column re-formed and took up the line of march about sun- 
I'ise, having first fired a volley and huzzaed three times in token 
of victory. The provincials succeeded in capturing six of the 
regulars, — the first prisoners taken in the Revolution. Of the 
buildings in the picture, the tavern still remains in excellent pres- 
ervation. The meeting-house was taken down in 1793. Upon the 
erection of its successor, the following year, with a bell-tower, the 
detached lielfry, which had done such good service, was removed 
to the estate of Captain Parker and used as a corn-barn and work- 
shop. The tongue of the bell is now in the Library at Lexing- 
ton. The house on the right of the belfry, across the road, was 
the Dudley tavern, which was taken down in 1867. The village 
gi'een remains substantially as it was. The bodies of the slain 
rest beneath the simple monument erected by the State of Massa- 
chusetts in 1799. 



234 AXTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTOX. 

PLATE II 
Represents the arrival of the British in the viHage of Concord, 
about six miles beyond Lexington and eighteen from Boston. The 
meeting-house is seen on the extreme left, the town-house on the 
right, and the old "Wright tavern in the center. Colonel Smith 
and Major Pitcairn (evidently caricatured) are standing in the 
cemetery, the latter with a held-glass watching the movements 
of the provincials on the hill beyond the north bridge. In the 
rear of the meeting-house a small detachment may be seen en- 
gaged in destroying the military stores collected there for the 
use of the militia. The British had encountered no opposition on 
the road from Lexington. News of their approach had reached 
Concord at an early hour, and the alarm had been widely spread, 
messengers being dispatched to arouse the neighboring towns. 
Every possible precaution was made to meet the enemy. ^laiiy 
of the military stores were removed to places of safety. The 
militia and minute-men paraded on the green in front of the meet- 
ing-house, and some companies went out about two miles on the 
Lexington road to reconnoitre. Seeing the regulars approaching 
rapidly, they fell back upon a hill overlooking the road, within a 
quarter of a mile of the common. Here they were joined by Col. 
BaiTCtt, their senior officer, who had returned from secreting the 
colony's stores and ammunition. It was now seven o'clock. The 
sun was shining brightly upon the scene. Through clouds of dust, 
the British were advancing with gleaming bayonets, rolling drums 
and measured tread. It was useless to attempt resistance there, 
and so the provincials at once retired to a hill beyond the river, 
about a mile to the north, in order to watch the enemy and wait 
for re-enforcements, ileanwhile the kmg's troops marched into 
Concord in two colimms, the infantry coming over the hill from 
which the Americans had retired, and the grenadiers and marines 
following the high road. On reaching the court house. Colonel 
Smith ordered six companies (about two hundred men), under 
Capt. Parsons, to hold the bridges and destroy certain stores on the 
other side. With the balance of his command he remained in the 
center of the town, destroying such things as he could lay hands 
on The real loss, however, proved to be but alight. About 
sixty barrels of flour were emptied, half of which n'as afterwards 
saved ; three cannon had their trunnions knocked oil"; sixteen new 
carriage-wheels and a few barrels of wooden trenchers and spoons 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 237 

were burned ; the liberty-pole was cut down ; and about five hun- 
dred pounds of balls were thrown into the pond and wells. The 
court house was set on fire, but was happily saved. The meeting- 
house (No. 7) was built in 1712, and repaired in 1791. It was 
in this building that the Provincial Congi-ess sat in 1774-5. The 
present Unitarian church is constructed of the old timbers, although 
the appearance is materially changed. The old Wright tavern, in 
the center of the picture, remains in good condition to the present 
time. 

PLATE III 
Represents the engagement at the North Bridge. Capt. Parsons, 
who had been sent out by Col. Smith with a detachment of light 
infantry, posted Capt. Laurie with three companies at the bridge, 
while he proceeded to Colonel Barrett's house in search of stores. 
The Americans had gathered on the high ground, west of the 
bridge, and now numbered about four hundred and fifty men, rep- 
resenting many of the neighboring towns. From their rendezvous 
they could readily see the movements of the British, both at the 
bridge and in the town where the destruction of stores was going 
on. °The increasing fires in the village filled them with apprehen- 
sion, and they determined, after a brief consultation, to cross the 
bridge and move on to the defense of the town. Capt. AVilliam 
Smifh of Lincoln volunteered with his company to dislodge the 
guard at the bridge. Capt. Isaac Davis, who commanded the 
Acton minute-men, drew his sword, and, turning towards his com- 
pany, said, "I have n't a man that's afraid to go." Col. Barrett 
ordered the advance, but instructed them not to fire unless they 
were fired upon. The command was given to Major Buttrick of 
Concord, who led the column to the bridge. He was supported 
by Lieut. -Colonel Robinson of Westford. It was about ten o'clock 
when they started for the river, the Acton company in front, led 
by the gallant Davis. They marched in double file and with 
trailed arms. The British guard, numbering about one hundred 
men, were then on the west side of the river. Seeing the pro- 
vincials approach, they recrossed the bridge and began to take up 
the planks. Major Buttrick remonstrated against this, and hur- 
ried his men forward along the narrow causeway leading to the 
bridge The British now drew up in line of battle on the oppo- 
site side and immediately opened fire upon them. The first shots 
did no serious execution ; one or two were wounded ; but then 



238 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

came a volley with fatal effect. Capt. Davis and Abner Hosmer 
of the same company both fell dead. Seeing this, ]\Iajor Buttrick 
shouted, "Fire, fellow soldiers ! for God's sake, fire !" The order 
was instantly obeyed. One of the British was killed and several 
were wounded ; whereupon they retreated in confusion toward the 
center of the village. The Americans pursued them a short dis- 
tance and then turned aside to occupy favorable positions on the 
adjacent hills. In the meantime, the detachment under Capt. Par- 
sons returned from the Barrett house, crossed the bridge, and 
joined the main body unmolested. Two British soldiers lie buried 
near the stone wall where they fell. The bodies of Davis and 
Hosmer were carried to Acton for burial. The old bridge, which 
appears in the picture, was discontinued for many years, owing to 
a ciiange of the Acton road. In 1875, a new one was built lead- 
ing to the Statue of the Minute-Man, which stands on the site 
occupied by the patriots in the fatal engagement. 

"By the rude bridge that arched the flood, 
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled. 
Here once the embattled farmers stood 

And fired the shot heard round the world." 

PLATE IV 

After the Concord fight. Col. Smith collected his forces, and 
seeing the imminent danger to which he was exposed, hastened to 
provide conveyances for his wounded, and, about twelve o'clock, 
set out on the return march to Boston. The invaders now became 
fugitives, and the retreat soon turned into a fiight. The whole 
county of Middlesex had been aroused, and men poured in from 
every quarter with powder-horn and musket, ready to do j^eoman 
service. Without much order or discipline they posted them- 
selves behind houses, trees and walls, and poured an almost inces- 
sant fire into the enemy's ranks. The British column, exposed to 
such a galling attack in Hank and rear, was thrown into the greatest 
confusion ; several were killed and many were wounded ; and had 
it not been that re-enforcements were awaiting them, they "'ould 
inevitably have fallen into the hands of the Americans. This 
very emergency had Ijeen anticipated ; and General Gage had 
sent out a brigade of about twelve hundred men with two field- 
pieces, under the command of Earl Percy, for the relief of the 
expedition. The forces met at Lexington, shortly before two 
o'clock in the afternoon, about a third of a mile east of the com- 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 241 

mon. Plate IV. represents the scene of the meeting, with the 
surrounding objects. The retreating column is seen on the right. 
"They were so much exhausted with fatigue," says Stedman, the 
British historian, who was present and saw them, "that they were 
obliged to lie down upon the ground, their tongues hanging out 
of their mouths, like those of dogs after a chase." In the picture 
the re-enforcements occupy the main road, with flanking parties 
thi'own out on either side. One of the six-pounder field-pieces 
is seen on a knoll near the road (where the High school stands 
now) . The other was placed upon the eminence to the left, beyond 
the troops and above the Munroe Tavern (which is not seen in the 
picture) , where Lord Percy had established his headquarters and 
hospital for the wounded. These cannon were trained upon the 
provincials, wherever they appeared in groups in difl:'erent parts 
of the town. One of the lialls pierced the meeting-house and 
passed out through the pulpit window. Several have been plowed 
up within the last few years. Lord Percy and Col. Smith are 
seen holding a conference. In the background, the provincials 
are recognized on the ^Voburu road, using the stone wall as a 
breastwork. Many of them were excellent marksmen and used 
their muskets with terrible efiect. Beyond the main road several 
buildings are seen in flames. Three houses, two shops and a barn 
were burned in Lexington ; and many other buildings were pil- 
laged and defaced. After a short interval of rest aad refreshment 
the British collected their forces, and, about three o'clock, took 
up the line of march for Boston, placing the cannon in the rear. 
At every point on the road they encountered increasing numbers 
of the militia, who by this time had gathered in such force as to 
constitute a formidable foe. It was a terrible march. Many were 
killed on both sides, and it was with the greatest difiiculty that 
Lord Percy was able at last, about sunset, to bring his command 
to Charlestown neck, under cover of the ships of war. The British 
lost that day, in killed, wounded and missing, 273 ; the Americans 
93. The war of the Revolution had commenced in earnest, and 
was destined not to close until the independence of the United 
States was secure. 

We are indebted to Rev. E. G. Porter, of Lexington, for the 
the above graphic description of the engagement at Lexington 
and Concord. 



242 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL. 

The news of the fight at Lexington and Concord spread through- 
out the country with the greatest rapidity, so that within two days 
after, such a great body of the Americans had collected, that the 
British were blockaded in Boston, and all intercourse with the 
country ceased. Consequently the people were now cut ofl' from 
their customary supplies of provisions, fuel and necessaries of life. 
This exposed them to gi-eat distress. Civil war in all its horrors 
was at their doors — the sundering of social ties, the burning of 
peaceful homes, the butchery of kindred and friends, and the 
uncertanty of their own fate. 

Towards the end of May, Generals Howe, Clinton and Burgoyne, 
with reinforcements, arrived from England, and the British army 
burned to try their prowess against the rebels in open fight. June 
16th, 1775, the provincial Congress at Cambridge decided to take 
measures to fortify Bunker Hill. A detachment, under Col. 
Prescott commenced, at nine o'clock, its memorable march to 
Charlestown. On arriving on the spot, it was decided to fortify 
Breed's Hill, instead of Bunker Hill, as it was nearer Boston, 
although the order was explicit as to Bunker Hill. By the dawn 
of day, works about six feet in height were seen by the sailors on 
the man-of-war Lively. The captain immediately opened fire on 
the works, which alarmed the British camp, and summoned the in- 
haliitants of Boston to witness the terrible drama aliout to be 
enacted. General Gage immediately called a council of war and it 
was decided to attack the Americans. The fratricidal struggle was 
about to commence ; men of the same race and blood who had 
stood shoulder to shoulder in many a hard fought field, brothers, 
fathers and sons were about to engage in a deadly struggle that 
should last for years, and which eighty-six years afterwards was to 
be repeated over again. About twelve o'clock the several regiments 
marched through the streets of Boston to their places of embarka- 
tion, and two ships of war moved up Chai-les River to join the 
others in firing on the works. Suddenly the redoubled roar of 
cannon announced that the crisis was at hand. The Falcon and 
Lively swept the low ground in front of the hill, to dislodge any 
troops that might be posted there to oppose their landing The 
Somerset and two floating batteries at the feiTy, and the battery on 
Copp's Hill, poured shot upon the American works ; the Glasgow 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 243 

frigate and the Symmetry transport, moored up Charles River, 
raked the Neck. The troops embarked at Long Wharf and at the 
North Battery, and when a blue dag was displayed as a signal, 
the fleet, with field-pieces in the leading barge, moved towards 
Charlestown. The sun was shining in meridian splendor and the 
scarlet uniforms, the glistening armor, the brazen artillery, the 
regular movements of the boats, the flashes of fire and the bclch- 
ings of smoke, formed a spectacle brilliant and imposing. The 
army landed in good order at Moulton's Point, and formed in three 
lines. When the intelligence of the landing of the British troops 
reach Cambridge, there was suddenly great noise and confusion. 
The bells were rung, the drums beat to arms, and adjutants rode 
hurriedly from point to point with orders for troops to march and 
oppose the enemy. 




Narrow Neck. Bunker Hill. Breed's Hil]. Moulton's Point. 

VIEW OF CHARLESTOWN FROM BEACON HILL. 

The defences of the American, at three in the afternoon, were 
still in a rude, unfinished state. The redoubt, where the monument 
stands, was about eight rods square. Its strongest side, the front, 
facing the settled part of the town, was made with projecting angles, 
and protected the south side of the hill. The eastern side com- 
manded an extensive field. The north side had an open passage- 
way. A breastwork, beginning a short distance from the redoubt, 
and on a line with its eastern side, extended about one hundred 
yards north towards a slough. In the rear of the north corner of 
the breastworks, on a diagonal line, extended a fence one-half of 
which was stone, with two rails of wood, and a little distance in 
front another parellel line of fence, and the space between them 
filled with newly cut hay. A distance of about one hundred yards 
between the slough and the rail fence was open to the approach 
of infantry. It was the weakest part of the defences. The redoubt 
and breastwork constituted a good defence against cannon and 
musketry, but the fences were hardly more than a shadow of pro- 
tection. Behind the fence was stationed Colonel John Stark with 
his regiment. 



244 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

The redoubt was defended by Generals Putnam, Warren, Pom- 
roy, and Colonel Prescott. It is not known who was in command. 
but it is generally conceded that Colonel Prescott and General 
Putnam each took an equally important part in the struggle. 
]\Ieantime the main body of the British troops at Moulton's Point 
were waiting for i-einforcements to arrive, during which many of 
the troops quietly dined. It proved to many a lirave man his last 
meal. It was nearly three o'clock when the barges returned with 
reinforcements ; there had now landed nearly three thousand troops. 
Gen. Howe just previous to the action addressed his army in which 
he said "I shall not desire one of you to go a step further than 
where I go myself at your head," and true to his word he led his 
men into the entrenchments. The fire now from Copp's Hill, the 
ships and batteries, centered on the entrenchments ; their general 
discharge was intended to cover the advance of the British. They 
moved forward in two divisions. General Howe with the right 
wing to penetrate the American line at the rail fence, and cutotf 
a retreat from the redoubt. General Pigot with the left wins; to 
storm the breastworks and redoubt. The troops moved slowly 
for they were burdened with knapsacks full of provisions, obstructed 
by the tall grass and fences, and heated l^y a burning sun ; they 
regarded their antagonists with scorn and expected an easy victory. 
The Americans coolly waited their approach. Their oiEcers ordered 
them to reserve their fire. "Wait until you see the whites of their 
eyes." "Fire low." "Aim at their waistbands." "Pick oil' 
the commanders." "Aim at the handsome coats." The troops 
kept firing as they approached the lines. The order was at last 
given to the Americans to tire, when there was a simultanious 
discharge from the redoubt and breastwork that did terrible 
execution on the British ranks. But it was received with veteran 
firmness, and for a few minutes was sharply returned. The 
Americans being protected by their works, suflered but little, but 
their murderous balls literally strewed the gi'ound with the dead 
and wounded of the enemy. General Pigot was obliged to order a 
retreat, when the exulting shout of victory rose from the American 
lines. General Howe, in the meantime, led the right wing against 
the ran fence. The light infantry moved along the shore of Mystic 
river, to turn the extreme left of the American line, while the 
2:i-enadiers advanced directly in front. The Americans first opened 
Dn them with their field pieces with great efi"ect, some of the can- 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON: 247 

non being fired by Putnam. This drew tlie enemy's fire, which 
they continued with the regularity of troops on parade. At length 
the word was given to fire. Many were marksmen, intent on 
cutting down the British ofiicers. They used the fence for a rest 
for their pieces, and the bullets were true to their message. The 
companies were cut up with terrible severity and so great was the 
carnage that the columns a few moments before so proud and firm 
in their array were disconcerted, partly broken, and then retreated. 
And now moments of joy succeeded long hours of toil, anxiety 
and peril. The American volunteer saw the veterans of England 
retreat before his fire, and felt a new confidence in himself. The 
result too was obtained with Init little loss on his side. 

Charlestown in the meantime, had been set on fire by shells fired 
from Copp's Hill and by a party of marines from the Somerset. 
Gen. Howe in a short time rallied his troops and immediately ordered 
another assault. They marched in the same order as before, firing as 
they approached the works. The Amei'ican ofiicers ordered their 
men not to fire until the enemy were within five or six rods of the 
works. At length the prescribed distance was reached, and the terri- 
ble fire prostrated whole ranks of officers and men. The enemy stood 
the shock and continued to advance with great spirit, but the con- 
tinued stream of fire that issued from the whole American line was 
even more destructive than befoi'e. Gen. Howe, opposite the rail 
fence, was in the hottest of it. Two of his aids, and other ofiicers 
near him, were shot down, and at times he was left almost alone. 
At length the British were compelled to retreat, many running 
towards their boats. The ground was covered with the killed and 
wounded. Gen. Howe resolved to make another assault. Some 
of his ofiicers remonstrated against the decision, and averred that 
it would be downright butchery to lead men on again, but other 
ofiicei's preferred any sacrifice rather than sufler defeat. The boats 
were at Boston ; there was no retreat. "Fight, conquor or die 1" 
was their repeated exclamation. 

A force of four hundred marines had landed, and Gen. Clinton, 
who had witnessed from Copp's Hill the retreat of the troops, joined 
Gen. Howe as a volunteer in the attack. A different mode of 
attack was decided on. The men were ordered to lay aside their 
knapsacks, to move forward in column, to resei've their fire, to rely 
on the l)ayonet, to direct their main attack on the redoubt, to push 
forward the artillery to a position that would enable it to rake the 



248 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

breastwork. The gallant execution of these orders reversed the 
fortunes of the day. Gen. Howe, whose fine figure and gallant 
bearing were observed at the American lines, led the grenadiers 
and light infontry in front of the breastwoi'k, while Generals 
Clinton and Pigot led the extreme left of the troops to scale the 
redoubt. On the right the artillery soon gained its appointed 
station, enfiladed the line of In-eastworks, drove its defenders into 
the redoul)t for protection, and did much execution within by send- 
ing its balls through the passage-way. "When the British had 
reached within about twenty yards of the works a deadly volley 
was poured upon the advancing columns, which made them waver 
for an instant, but they sprang forward to the assault without re- 
turning it. Clinton and Pigot reached a position on the southern 
and eastern sides of the redoubt, where they were protected by its 
walls. It was now attacked on three sides at once, and was soon 
successfully scaled. Gen. Pigot, by the aid of a tree, mounted a 
corner of it and was closely followed by his men. The conflict 
was now carried on hand to hand ; many stood and received wounds 
with swords and bayonets. The British continued to enter and 
were advancing towards the Americans when Colonel Prescott 
save the order to retreat. The British, with cheers, took possession 
of the works, but immediately formed, and delivered a destructive 
fire upon the retreating troops. Warren, at this period, was killed 
and left on the field, and the loss of the Americans were greater 
than at any other period of the action. In the meantime the Ameri- 
cans at the rail fence, under Stark, maintained their ground with 
firmness and intrepidity, and successfully resisted every attempt 
to turn their flank. This line was nobly defended and the force 
here did a great service, for it saved the main body, who were 
retreating in disorder from the redoubt, from being cut ott" by the 
enemy, and when it was perceived that the force under Colonel 
Prescott had left the hill, then these brave men at the fence gave 
o-round. The whole body of Americans were now in full retreat, 
crossing the brow of Bunker Hill. At this place occured the greatest 
slaughter. Gen. Putnam rode to the rear of the retreating troops, 
exclaiming, "Make a stand here, we can stop them. In God's 
name, form, and give them one shot more." It was impossible to 
check the retreat, notwithstanding reinforcements arrived. Colonel 
Scammons, with a part of his regiment, and Captain Foster's artillery 
company, reached the top of Bunker Hill, but immediately retreated 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTOm 251 

with the rest, so fierce was the onslaught of the British. The 
whole body retired over the Neck, amidst the shot from the ene- 
my's ships and batteries, and were met by additional troops on 
their way to the heights, who also joined in the reti-eat. The 
British troops took possession with a parade of triumph the same 
hill that had served them for a retreat on the memoi-able nine- 
teenth of April. The Americans retreated to Winter Hill, Pros- 
pect Hill, and Cambridge. Both sides felt indisposed to renew 
the action the following day. The loss of the peninsular damp- 
ened the ardor of the Americans, and the loss of men depressed 
the spirits of the British. 

It is impossible to state the number of troops engaged on either 
side. Colonel Sweet says the number of the Americans during the 
battle was fluctuating, but may be fairly estimated at three thousand 
five hundred who joined in the battle and five hundred more who 
covered the retreat. Gen. Putnam's estimate was two thousand 
two hundred. This is as near accuracy as can be arrived at. Gen. 
Gage, in his ofiicial account, states the British force at "something 
over two thousand." Americans who counted the troops as they 
left the wharves in Boston, state that five thousand went over to 
Charlestown, and probably not less than from three to four thousand 
were actually engaged. The time the battle lasted is estimated at 
one hour and a half. The loss of the Americans were, killed one 
hundred and fifteen, wounded three hundred and five, captured 
thirty. Total, four hundred and fifty. They also lost five pieces 
of cannon out of six, and a large quantity of entrenching tools. 

The British loss was ten hundred and fifty four ; of these two 
hundred and twenty six were killed, including nineteen ofiicers, 
among whom were Lieutenant-Colonel Abercrombie at the head of 
the gi-enadiers who was shot while storming the works. He was 
a brave and noble-hearted soldier ; and when the men were bearinor 
him from the field, he begged them to spare his old friend Putnam" 
"If you take Gen. Putnam alive," he said " don't hang him ; for 
he's a brave man." Major Pitcairn, the commander of the marines, 
was also killed. He had been wounded twice ; then putting him- 
self at the head of his force he again stormed the redoubt, calling 
out, "Now for the glory of the marines ! " He received four balls 
in his body and as he fell his son exclaimed "I have lost my 
father." ' ' We have all lost a father," was the echo of the regiment, 
by whom he was much loved. His son bore his body to a boat. 



252 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

and thence to Prince street, whei'e he expired. He was widely known 
from his connection with the events at Lexington, and was a kind, 
courteous and accomplished otEcer, and an exemplary man. 

Among the American ofEcers killed was Gen. Warren, and Cols. 
Gardner and Parker afterwards died of their wounds. Gen. 
Warren exerted great influence in the battle. Having been one of 
the prime movers in the Eevolution, he decided to devote his 
energies to promote it in future battle-ticlds. He was elected 
Major General, June 14th, and on June 16th he ofliciated as Presi- 
dent of the Provincial Congress. Though opposed to the measure 
of occupying so exposed a post as Bunker Hill, j'ct he avowed the 
intention if it should be resolved upon to share the peril of it. He 
accordingly armed himself and proceeded to Charlestowu, where 
he was tendered the command by Col. Prescott and Gen. Putnam, 
which he declined, saying "Tell me where the onset will be the 
most furious." "Where I can be the most useful." He passed 
into the redoubt where the men received him with cheers. He 
mingled in the fight, behaved with great bravery, and was among 
the last to leave the redoubt. He lingered even to rashness in his 
retreat, and had not proceeded far when a ball struck him in the 
forehead and he fell to the gi'ound. On the next day visitors to 
the battle-field recognized his body, and it was buried where he 
fell. After the British left Boston, the sacred remains were sought 
after and again identified, and were at first deposited in the Tremont 
Cemetery and subsequently in the family vault under St. Paul's 
Church, and were again removed, a few years since, to Forest 
Hill Cemetery. The intellegence of his death spread a gloom 
over the country. No one was more widely beloved, or was more 
highly valued. Gen. Howe could hardly credit the report that the 
President of Congress was among the killed, and is said to have 
declared that this victim was worth five hundred of their men. 

No engagement of the Eevolution possesses an interest so deep 
and peculiar, or produced consequences so important, as the Battle 
of Bunker Hill. It is remarkable on many accounts — in being the 
first great battle of the contest ; in the astonishing resistance made 
by th^ militia against veteran troops. It proved the quality of the 
American soldiers, and established the fact of open war between 
the colonies and the mother country. It was a victory under the 
name of a defeat. And yet, at first, it was regarded with disap- 
pointment and indignation, and whether private or official, accounts 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 255 

of it are rather in the tone of apology than of exultation. The 
enterprise was considered rash in the conception, and discreditable 
in the execution. No one for years came forward to claim the 
honor of having directed it. Passing events are seldom accurately 
estimated, but as time rolled on its connections with the great 
movement of the age appeared in its true light. Hence the Battle 
of Bunker Hill now stands out as the grand opening scene of the 
American Revolution. 

Our view of the attack on Bunker Hill and the burning of 
Chai-lestown is reproduced from "Barnard's History of England," 
and is considered a very rare print. 

A PLAN OF THE ACTIOX AT BUITKEU'S HILX. 

This map was published in 1777, and was made by Lieut. Page, 
an engineer of the royal navy, and is from an actual survey "by 
Captain Montresor. Lieut. Page particularly distinguished him- 
self in the stonning of the redoul^t, for which he received Gen. 
Howe's thanks. " This gentleman," says the London Chronicle, 
Jan. 11th, 1776, " is the only one now living of those who acted 
as aid-de-camp to G«n. Howe, so great was the slaughter of officers 
that day." He was on the field for months after the action, and 
doubtless often visited the redoulrt which he helped to storm, and 
thus he would be likely to master the details of the battle, while 
his profession as an engineer and his services a.s a soldier qualified 
him for the work of preparing a plan of the battle, which is con- 
sidered the most accurate of any published. The size of the 
original is 19x26. 

A view of the heights and hills is more fully represented on a 
sketch drawn in 1775. It is entitled " A View of Charlestown 
and the Back Ground as far as the Narrow Pass. Taken from 
Beacon Hill." On the right of the picture is Moulton Hill, which 
was near where Chelsea Bridge commences. Near this hill on a 
point, now a portion of the Navy Yard, the British army landed. 

" A PLAN OF BOSTON IN NEW ENGLAND WITH ITS ENVIRONS." 
This plan was made by Henry Pelham, the half brother of 
Copley, the painter. It was made under permLssion of J. 
Urquhart, town major, Aug. 28, 1775. It shows the lines about 
the town and the harbor. It was printed in two sheets and pub- 
lished in London, .June 2, 1777, done in aquatinta by Francis .Jukes. 
This copy Ls reproduced from the original in tiie Massachusetts 
Historical Society's librarj'. 



256 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

warken's house, 1775. 

Dr. Joseph Warren, in the latter part of 1770, leased a house 
belonging to Joshua Green, I\Iayor Green's great grandfather, which 
stood on Hanover street, about opposite the head of Elm street. 
The site is now occupied by the American House. A letter writ- 
ten by George Green to Joshua Green, under date of December 
5th, 1770, says: "My mother has let out the house to one Dr. 
Warren, and boards with him, as she did not choose to move out 
of a place she has been so long used to. She reserves for herself 
the two front chamhers, and keeps her maid and negro man." 
Dr. Warren's wife died in April, 1773, leaving four young chil- 
dren, but he continued to reside in Hanover sti'eet until he finally 
left Boston to give his whole and undivided attention to the pre- 
paration for the coming struggle. His important relations to the 
Provincial Congress and the Committee of Safety, no less than 
prudence regarding his personal welfare, demanded that he should 
remove himself from the domination of General Gage. 



WARRENS BIRTHPLACE. 

This house was built in 1720 by Joseph Warren, Gen. Warren's 
grandfather. It was situated on a farm, several acres in extent, 
which, after his death, a few years later, was cultivated carefully 
hy his son Joseph. The "Warren Russet" apple was a well 
known variety of fruit at that time. It was used as quarters for 
Col. David Brewer's regiment in the summer of 1775. Josei)h 
was killed by a fall from one of his apple trees, Oct. 23, 1775. 
His widow, j\Iary Warren, mother of Gen. Warren, died here at 
the extreme age of ninety, in 1803. It was occupied by Samuel 
Warren, a younger brother of the General, until 1805, when, at 
his death, it came into the possession of Dr. John C. AVarren. In 
184(3 the old house, being in ruins, was pulled down, and a hand- 
some stone house was Iniilt on the site by Dr. Warren, who in- 
tended it as a memorial not only of his uncle, the General, but of 
his father, John \A"arren, the tirst Professor of Anatomy at Har- 
vard University. Dr. AYarren, djnng in 1856, bequeathed the 
estate to the present owner. Dr. J. Collins Warren. This picture 
is taken from an engraving in his possession, made in 1810, and 
the above description is written by him. 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 261 

WASHINGTON ELM, CAMBRIDGE. 

On the meeting of the Second Continental Congress in Philadel- 
phia, May 10th, 1775, its most important duty was to appoint a 
commander-in-chief of the patriot forces. It was a task of great 
delicacy and difficulty. John Adams of Boston moved that the 
army then besieging Boston should be adopted by Congress as a 
Continental army, and he would propose for commander-in-chief 
of same a gentleman of Virginia who was there present. His re- 
marks were so pointed that all present percieved them to apply to 
Colonel Washington, who, upon hearing this reference to himself, 
retired from his seat and withdrew. When the ballot was taken 
it was found that Colonel Washington was unanimously elected. 
Before the election it had been voted to pay the General five hun- 
dred dollars a month for his expenses. On this point Washington 
said, " I beg leave to assure Congi-ess that no pecuniary consider- 
ation could have tempted me to accept this arduous employment 
at the expense of my domestic ease and happiness. I do not wish 
to make any profit from it. I will keep an exact account of my 
expenses. Those, I doubt not, you will discharge, and that is all 
I desire." This appointment was made two days before the battle 
of Bunker Hill. It then took a week to travel from Philadelphia 
to Boston by the quickest mode. Washington, in company with 
Generals Charles Lee and Philip Schuyler, immediately set out on 
horseback to join the army at Boston. They had scarcely pro- 
ceeded twenty miles before they met a courier with tidings of the 
gi-eat battle that had been fought. Washington eagerly asked for 
j)articulars, and when told that the militia had stood their gi-ound 
bravely, exclaimed ' ' The liberties of the country are safe." Under 
the ancient elm at Cambridge, yet standing, in the presence of the 
soldiers drawn up in line, and women and children from all parts 
of the country, he took formal command of the army, July 3, 1775. 

This majestic tree stands on Garden street, near the westerly 
corner of the Common, and may possibly have belonged to the 
primeval forest, and, if it could speak, would be an interesting 
chronicler of events. Within its shade the settlers erected their 
rude log houses, and here also was laid the foundation of Harvard 
College, the first educational establishment in New England. Not 
far from it was the spot where the public town meetings were 
held, and also the tree under which the Indian council-fires weie 
lighted more than two centuries ago. 



2(52 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

THE FORTIFICATIONS ON BOSTON NECK 

In the olden times, and for a long number of years after the 
settlement of Boston, there was only one carriage entrance to the 
town, and that was through Roxbury and over the Neck. By re- 
ferring to the Bonner map, in this work, it will be observed that by 
severing this connection Boston would be an island. One of the 
first cares of the early settlers was to take precaution against In- 
dian attacks. " We began a Court of Guard," says Winthrop, 
under date of April 14th. 1631, "upon the Neck between Roxbury 
and Boston, whereupon there should l)e always resident an ofEcer 
and six men." The gates of this primitive barrier, erected at the 
narrowest part of the Neck, where Dover street now is, and which 
had disappeared by the end of the century, were constantly guard- 
ed and were shut at a certain hour in the evening, after which none 
were allowed to pass in or out. In 1710, fortifications were con- 
structed, with foundations of brick and stone, upon the site of the 
old ones, having a parapet of earth, with embrasures for cannon 
on the front and flank and a deep ditch on the side next to Rox- 
bury. There were two gates, one for carriages and one for foot 
passengers. In Sept. 1774, aiJairs began to look serious and Gage, 
the royal governor, proceeded to strengthen the old and to erect 
new works in advance of them, digging a deep fosse into which the 
tide flowed at high water in fi-ont of the former, severing Boston 
for the time from the main land. While this work was goins; on 
the people, whose curiosity led them to watch its progi'css, would 
speak slightingly of it and say, " Gage's mud walls are nothing to 
old Louisburg, and, if necessary, would be no more regarded than 
a beaver's dam." The recollection of that remarkable achievement 
caused them to depreciate this comparatively slight barrier ; but 
the skill of IMoutresor, Gage's engineer, soon made it formidable 
enough to deter the Americans from attempting an assault, which 
could hardly have ended otherwise than in failure. The Dover street 
work was called the " Green Store Battery," the warehouse, then 
standing on the site of the William's Market, being of that color. 
Excavations just south of the market, in 1860, revealed the remains 
of this old fort. The position of the advanced work, which was 
much stronger, was between Dedham and Canton streets, a point 
from which the first unobstructed view, in front, is obtained as far 
as Roxbury. It mounted twenty guns of heavy calibre, besides 
six howitzers and a moilar battery. The redan was flanked by a 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 265 

bastion on each side of the highway, from which the lines were 
continued across the marshes. The road passed through the centre 
of both lines, the first having a gate and drawljridge. A third and 
smaller work, lying between the others, on the eastern sea margin, 
bore on Dorchester Neck (South Boston) and took the left curtain 
and bastion of the main work in reverse. After the battles of 
Lexington and Bunker Hill, these works became of great strata- 
getic importance, and were the principal lines of defence during 
the siege of Boston. Just one month before the siege began a 
committee of the Provincial Congress on the present state of the 
operations of the British army reported : " That two mud breast- 
works have been erected on Boston Neck at the distance of about 
90 or 100 rods in front of the old fortifications, the works well 
constructed and well executed. The thickness of the merlons or 
parapet is about 9 feet, the height about 5 feet, the width of the 
ditch at the top about 12 feet, at the l)ottom 5 feet, the depth 10 
feet. These works are already completed and at present mounted 
with 10 brass and 2 iron cannons. A barrack is erecting behind 
the breastwork on the N. side of the Neck." "The old fortifica- 
tion at the entrance of the town of Boston is repairing and greatly 
strengthened by the addition of timber and earth to the walls of 
the thickness of about 12 feet. These works are in considerable 
forwardness, and at present 10 pieces of iron cannon are mounted 
on the old platforms. A block-house, brought from Governor's 
Island, is erecting on the S. side of the Neck at the distance of 
about 40 or 50 rods from the old fortification. This work is but 
just begun." 

A plan of these works being desired at headquarters, John 
Trumbull, adjutant of Spencer's Connecticut regiment, (after- 
wards celebrated as an historical painter) undertook to obtain one. 
He says : "I began the attempt by creeping, under the conceal- 
ment of high gi-ass, so nigh that I could ascei'tain that the work 
consisted of a curtain crossing the entrance to the town, flanked by 
two bastions, and I ascertained the number of guns mounted on 
the eastern bastion, when my further progi-ess was rendered un- 
necessary by a deserter, who brought with him a rude plan of the 
entire work. My drawing was also shown to the General, and 
their correspondence proved that as far as I had gone I was cor- 
rect." This probably is the origin of the engi-aving here shown of 
" A View of the lines thrown up on Boston Neck by the Minis- 



266 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

terial Array." The original from which this engraving was made 
is a small vignette on a map, called " A Plan of Boston and its 
environs, 1775. Dedicated to John Hancock, Esq., President of 
the Continential Congi'ess. This map of the Seat of the Civil 
War in America is Respectfully inscribed. By his most Oljedient 
and Humble Servant. B. Romans." 




.7 lieu t'/ l/ic Lines t/iroitii upon BOSTU-V - >ECIi tyUie . Hinijtena(.-lrmy. 



I.Bofton. 2..»/rHanccckshou/i- 3 £'ie"ii/saiTiit,"i.*rNin f. -Blc^-khoujt SS GiumVwuJt 
l3.Ga4eifDniul>ruii/e ^.BeaccnJtilL 

The other two illustrations, " A Front View of the Lines, taken 
from the advanced posts near Brown's House," and a " View of 
the Country towards Dorchester, taken from the advanced works 
on Boston Neck," are both reproduced by the Photo-Electrotype 
Process, from J. F. W. Des Barre's Coast Charts, Published ac- 
cording to Act of Parliament May 30, 1776, for the use of the 
Army and Navy in North America, then operating in and around 
Boston. Enoch Brown's house and shop, of which mention is 
made here, was situated on the west side of the highway, between 
Blackstone square and Rutland street, deserves mention as the 
scene of the only hostile encounter that has ever taken place with- 
in the original limits of Boston. The following letter, from the 
American Camp at Roxbury, informs us that " on July 8, 1775, 
two hundred volunteers from the Rhode Island and Massachusetts 
forces, under Majors Tupper and Crane, attacked the British ad- 
vance guard at Brown's house on the Neck within three hundred 
yards of their principal works. They detached six men about ten 
o'clock in the evening with orders to cross on a marsh up to the 
rear of the guard-house and there to watch an opportunity to fire 
it. The remainder secreted themselves in the marsh on each side 
of the Neck, about two hundred yards from the house. Two brass 
pieces were drawn softly on the marsh within three hundred yards, 
and upon a signal from the advanced party of six, two rounds of 
cannon shot were fired through the guard-house. Immediately the 
regulars, who formed a guard of forty-five or fifty men, quitted the 
house and were fired upon l)y the musketry, who drove them with 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 271 

precipitation into their lines. Tiie six men posted near the house 
set fire to it and burned it to the ground. After this, they Ijurnt 
another house nearer the lines, and withdrew without losing a 
man." An in-egular warfare was kept up on the Neck from the 
17th of June till Washington took command of the army. A 
band of Indians, from the Stockbridge tribe, caused the British 
considerable trouble of which they complained with reason of this 
mode of warfare. A British officer writes, July 2, 1775, " Never 
had the British army so ungenerous an enemy to oppose ; they 
send their riflemen, five or six at a time, who conceal themselves 
behind trees, etc., till an opportunity presents itself of taking a 
shot at our advanced sentries, which done they immediately re- 
treat." On the 21st of June two of the Indians killed four of the 
regulars with their l)ows and aiTows and plundered tiiem. On the 
next day the British fired from their works and threw shells into 
Roxbury, this continued for several days, during which two Amer- 
icans were killed in attempting to set Brown's barn on fire, and the 
Indians killed more of the British guard. The Indians were not 
alone to blame in this desultory warfare. A large body of South- 
ern riflemen enlisted with great promptness, after the news of 
Lexington and Bunker Hill reached them ; they marched from four 
to six hundred miles. In a short time large bodies an-ived in 
camp, attracting much attention with their picturesque costumes. 
They were dressed in white hunting shirts, ornamented with a 
fringe; round hats, on which appeared the motto " Liberty or 
Death ;" buckskin breeches, Indian moccasins and leggins, also or- 
namented with beads and brilliantly dyed porcupine quills ; and 
were tall, stout and hardy men, inured to frontier life. They were 
all armed with rifles, tomahawks and long knives, the latter worn 
in the wampum belt that confined the hunting shirt to the waist . At a 
review a company of them, at a quick advance, fired three balls 
into objects seven inches in diameter, at two hundred and forty 
yards. With them it was a disgi'ace to shoot game anywhere ex- 
cept in the head, and they inspired such terror in the British camp 
that they were there spoken of as shirt tail men, with their cursed 
twisted guns, the most fatal widow and orphan makers in the world. 
One of them taken prisoner was earned to England as a curiosity. 
After the siege, the works on the Neck were destroyed, in order 
that they might not be made available to the enemy should he 
again obtain possession of the town. Vestiges of them were visi- 
ble as late as 1822, particularly on the west side. 



272 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

PLAN OF DORCHESTER NECK. 

This plan was drawn for the use of the British army in 1775, 
and is a copj^ of the plate published in " Simonds' History of South 
Boston." It shows the works erected there at that time, by the 
American forces, with every house and ti'ee on the peninsula. The 
names of the occupants of the houses were added by an aged 
member of the Blake family, who was born in 1776. On the 22d 
of Dec. 1775, Congress authorized Gen. Washington to attack the 
British troops in Boston, notwithstanding the town and property 
in it might be destroyed. Washington accordingly made active 
preperations for erecting redoubts on Dorchester Neck, a place 
which had long been considered as the most convenient point from 
which to dislodge the enemy. Washington was certain that the 
taking possession of Dorchester Heights would bring on a battle, 
and he intended to attack Boston at the same time on the Cam- 
bridge side. Four thousand chosen men were selected to attack 
Boston as soon as the attention of the British should be attracted 
to Dorchester Heights. 

On Monday night, March 4th, 1776, at about seven o'clock, two 
thousand men, under Gen. Thomas, marched across the causeway 
to Dorchester Heights. A covering party led the way, then followed 
the carts with entrenching tools, then twelve hundred soldiers 
under Gen. Thomas, and in the rear followed three hundred carts 
loaded with fascines and hay. The occasion was one of intense 
interest and excitement. The greatest silence was observed, no one 
being allowed to speak above a whisper. All exerted themselves to 
the utmost, and as by magic before daylight two forts of sufficient 
strength to be a good defence against grape shot and small arms 
were finished, and as the morning sun shone there was revealed to 
the British two fortifications that had no existence the evening 
before, and which had completely brought them into the power of 
their enemies. It was immediately decided by the Admiral of the 
British fleet that unless they were dislodged the vessels stationed 
in the harbor could not ride in safety, and it was also evident that 
the troops in Boston were now in a precarious situation. There 
were but two alternatives : either the town must be evacuated, or 
the Americans driven from the Heights. Gen. Howe could not 
for a moment think of quietly yielding the possession of the town, 
whose inhabitants had been the original cause of the war. Rely- 
ing on the superior strength of his army, he immediately decided 




Plan of Dorchester Neck. 




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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 275 

to attack the entrenchments. He ordered twenty-four hundred 
men, under the command of Earl Percy, to repair to Castle William, 
and at night to assail the new works. Thousands assembled upon 
the neighboring hills to see repeated the scenes of Bunker Hill. 
The American works were now very strong. A large number of 
barrels filled with stones and sand were placed on the brow of the 
hill to be rolled down as the column.s advanced. At 12 o'clock, 
March 5th, the troops embarked for the Castle, but a violent gale 
arose which prevented them from reaching their destination. 
During the night and the following day the storm continued, and 
the rain poured in torrents. The wind was so boistei'ous and the 
surf so great that it would have proved fatal to have attempted to 
land. In the meantime the Americans had greatly strengthened 
their works, and Gen. Howe felt that the fortifications were too 
strong to be assaulted, and concluded to evacuate the town rather 
than to have his army cut to pieces. Gen. Howe threatened that 
if his troops were molested while leaving the harbor he would fire 
the town, and although there was no express negotiation, yet there 
was a tacit understanding that the British were to leave the harbor 
unmolested. 

On the ninth of March, "Washington erected batteries on Leak 
and Bird's Hill, another at the Point and at Nook's Hill. This 
latter, from its proximity to the town, was of great importance, 
and Washington decided to fortify it, with a view of bringing the 
British completely under his power, and with the purpose of 
annoying the fleet if necessary. The British observing these 
operations opened a severe fire on Nook's Hill from their battery 
located on what is now Dover street. Four soldiers and a surgeon 
were killed, and the troops were compelled to suspend operations. 
Gen. Howe caused all the public stores that could not be taken 
away to be destroyed. Several sloops were sunk, and many can- 
non spiked. Early in the morning of March 17, Gen. Howe 
commenced the embarkation of his army. At nine o'clock a large 
number of troops and inhabitants left the wharves of Boston, which 
was observed in the American camp. Gen. Ward, with five hun- 
dred men, immediately marched over the Neck into the town jast 
as the last remnant of the British army and loyalists dropped down 
the harbor. With drums beating and flags flying, the victorious 
troops marched triumphantly through the streets, greeted on all 
sides by the inhabitants of the town with the greatest joy. 



276 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

BOSTON LIGHT-HOUSE. 

Early in the last century the inhabitants of Boston agittted the 
subject of erecting a light-house at the entrance to their harljor, 
in consequence of the growth of their commerce. Accordingly, 
in 1715, an act was passed to " build a light-house on the southern- 
most point of the Great Brewsters, called Beacon Island, because 
there had been a great discouragement to navigation by the loss of 
the lives and estates of several of His Majesties subjects, and that 
after the building of the light-house and kindling a light in it, to 
be kept from sun setting to sun rising, that an impost shall be paid 
by the masters of all Ships and Vessels, coming in and going out 
of the harbor, except Coasters, the duty of One Penny per Ton, 
inwards, and One Penny per Ton, outwards, before they Load or 
Unload the Goods therein." 

The first light-house keeper was George Worthylake, a man 
familiar with every island in the harbor from childhood, having 
been brought up on the island where Fort Warren now stands. At 
the time he became keeper of the light he had a farm on Lovell's 
Island, where he resided. He was paid fifty pounds for his service 
the fii'st year, which amount was increased to seventy the second 
year, in consequence of the loss of fifty-nine sheep which were 
drowned in the winter of 1716, through want of his care during 
enforced absences in attending the light. Mr. Worthylake was 
unfortunately drowned, together with his wife Ann and their daugh- 
ter Ruth, off Noddle's Island, now East Boston, while on their 
way to town, and their remains now rest in Copp's Hill Cemetery. 
This incident was the orign of the ballad called the ' ' Light-house 
Tragedy," which Franklin says he was induced by his brother to 
write, print, and sell about the streets, and which he said " sold 
prodigiously though it was ivretched stuff." 

The old light-house was much injured by fii"e in 1751, and was 
struck by lightning several times. During the revolution it was 
demolished and rebuilt by both the American and British forces, 
as the occasion arose to serve their ends thereby, as the following 
account from Frothincrham's Siege of Boston will show : — 

A party under Maj. Vose of Heath's regiment, in whale boats, 
landed on Nantasket Point, before day, and set fire to the light- 
house. At daylight the men-of-war discovered them and fired 
upon them. An eye-witness says : "I ascended an eminence at 



to' 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 279 

a distance, and saw the flames of the light-house ascending up to 
heaven like gi-ateful incense, and the ships wasting their powder. 
He also brought from Nantasket a thousand bushels of barley and 
a quantity of hay. An armed schooner and several barges engaged 
the detachment, and wounded two of the Americans. Maj. Vose 
gained much credit for his success in this enterprise. Tlie enemy 
commenced rebuilding the light-house, and July 31st, 1775, Maj. 
Tupper, with three hundred men, was detached with orders to 
disperse the working party. The enemy prepared to receive the 
Amei'icans in a hostile manner. Maj. Tupper landed in good order 
on the island, marched up to the works, killed ten or twelve on the 
spot, and took the remainder prisoners. Having demolished the 
works, the party were ready to embark, but the tide leaving them, 
they were obliged to remain until its return. Meantime, a number 
of boats came up from the men-of-war, to I'einforce those at the 
island, and a smart firing from both parties took place. A field 
piece, under Maj. Crane, planted on Nantasket Point to cover a 
retreat, sunk one of the boats, and killed several of the crew. 
Maj. Tupper brought his party of!" with the loss of only one man 
killed and two or three wounded. He killed and captured fifty- 
three of the enemy. Washington the next day, in general orders, 
thanked Maj. Tupper, and the officers and soldiers under his com- 
mand, " for their gallant and soldier-like behavior." June 13th, 
1776, the British fleet evacuated the harbor, and as they passed 
the light-house they sent their boats ashore and brought ofl' a party 
of regulars, and blew up the light-house with powder, then the 
whole fleet made all sail they could and went to sea, steering their 
course for Halifax. This island was, therefore, the last spot occu- 
pied by a hostile force in Boston Harbor. The present light-house 
was erected in 1783, but has been refitted since then with improved 
apparatus. In 1860 the old tower was raised and now measures 
ninety-eight feet above the sea level. Its revolving light can be 
seen at a distance of sixteen nautical miles. 

The view in mezzotint of the first light^liouse built in America 

is from a mezzotint in the possession of the Ligiit-house Board, 

Treasury Department, Washington. It was engraved by W. 

Burgis, who engraved a map of Boston, in 1729. 

The line engraving represents tlie second Boston liglit-house, 

and is reproduced from the " Massachusetts Magazine " for 1789. 



280 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 



BIRTHPLACE OF GENERAL KXOX. 

The parents of Knox were Scotch emigrants and came to Boston 
with the party that founded the Federal Street Church. The 
father of Knox was married in this church bv Rev. ]Mr. INIoorhead 
to Mary, daughter of Robert Campbell, Feb. 11,173.5 (O. S.) 
He was a ship master and the owner of a wharf and a small estate 
on Sea street. Henry, the seventh of ten sons, was born in this 
house, which was demolished last year (1881) on account of the 
extension of Essex street to Federal street, the street passing over 




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the site occupied by the house. Our engraving is copied from an 
old drawing and shows the house as it appeared in 17.56. The cut 
was loaned to us through the kindness of A. Williams & Co., of 
the " Old Corner Book Store." Knox was present at the so called 
State Street IMassacre, and took a prominent part in the demon- 
strations during the troublous times when the gathering storm of 
the Revolution loomed dark and threatening in the sky. At the 
age of twenty-one Knox l)egan business on his own account, and 
we are informed by the " Gazette " of July 29, 1771, that : " Thif 
day is opened a new London Bookstore by Henry Knox, opposite 
Williams' Court, in Cornhill, Boston." Knox's store was a great 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 281 

resori foi' British officers and Tory ladies, who were the ton at that 
period. At the age of eighteen Knox joined the "Boston Gren- 
adier Corps." The splendid uniform, military appearance, drill and 
efficiency of this corps gave it high renown and elicited the warm 
encomiums even of the British officers. By earnest study of mil- 
itary authors and by careful observation of the soldiery in Boston, 
he soon attained great proticiency in the theory and practice of the 
military art. Lieutenant Knox was an uncommonly good-looking 
officer, and while on parade attracted the attention of a young lady 
which soon ripened into mutual love and esteem, and resulted in 
a true and happy union. Her father, Thomas Flucker, Esq., a 
" high-toned loyalist of great family pretensions," and Secretary 
of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, was exceedingly averse to 
the match, as were, indeed, all of the young lady's aristocratic 
connections, who were loyalists. The marriage was announced in 
the " Gazette " of June 20, 1774. The young couple at once went 
to housekeeping, but their domestic enjoyment was rudely inter- 
rupted by the events of the 19th of April, 1775, and just one year 
from the day of his marriage Knox quitted Boston in disguise, 
(his departure being interdicted by Gage) accompanied by his 
wife, who had quilted into the lining of her cloak the sword with 
which her husband was to carve out a successful military career. 
Large promises had been held out to Knox to induce him to follow 
the royal standard, as it was thought to be of consequence to pre- 
vent so talented a young man from attaching himself to the pro- 
vincials. Repairing at once to the headquarters of Gen. Ward at 
Cambridge, he was actively engaged on reconnoirtering service on 
the memorable 17th of June, and upon his reports tlie general's 
orders were issued. After the battle, he lent his aid in planning 
and constructing works of defence for the various camps around 
the beleagured town. His greatest service perhaps, was the bring- 
ing of more than fifty cannon, mortars and howitzers from Ticon- 
deroga. Crown Point, etc., to the lines before Boston. This feat 
was accomplished early in 1776, the ordinance being dragged on 
sledges in midwinter throuffh the wilderness. Gen. Knox rendered 
his country services of the utmost importance during the Revolu- 
tionary war, and it was gi'eatly due to Knox's skill and activity in 
providing and forwarding heavy cannon for the siege of Yorktown, 
that compelled the surrender of Cornwallis which led to a termina- 
tion of the contest. On March 4, 1785, Knox was elected Secre- 
tary of War. He died Oct. 15, 1806, after an illness of a few days. 



282 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

WASHINGTON TRIUMPHAL ARCH AND COLONNADE. 

On the occasion of the third visit of Washington to Boston he 
was given a grand public reception, October 24, 1789. A 
triumphal arch and colonnade were erected on Washington street 
in front of the Old State House, and from the latter he reviewed 
the passing throng by whom he was enthusiasticly welcomed and 
who in turn were gracefully saluted by him. 

The Triumphal Arch was designed by Mr. Charles Bulfinch and 
the Colonnade by Hon. INIr. Dawes. The arch was 18 feet high, 
composed of a central arch 14 feet wide, and one on each side of 
7 feet, with an ionic pilaster and proper imposts between them. 
The frieze exhibited thirteen stai's on a blue ground and a hand- 
some white cornice was carried to the height of the platform ; 
above was painted a balustrade of interlaced work, in the centre 
of Mhich was an oval tablet with the following inscriptions, on 
one side, "To the Man who Unites all Hearts," and on the other, 
"To Columbia's Favorite Son." At the end of the State House 
was a panel decorated with a trophy, composed of the arms of the 
United States, of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and our 
French Allies, crowned ■with a laurel wreath ; over these an inscrip- 
tion " Boston Relieved March 17, 1776." Over the centre arch, a 
rich canopy of 20 feet in height was erected, with the American 
Eagle perched above. 

The Coloimade was erected at the west end of the State House, 
as sho^ni at the right of our engraving. It Avas composed of six 
large columns, iifteen feet high, and a balustrade hung in front 
with Persian carpets, on wliich were wrought thirteen roses. The 
circle of the Colonnade measured forty-four feet, and projected 
boldly into the main street, so as to exhibit in a strong light " the 
man of the people." Through the central MTst M'indow of the 
State House, the President passed to the balustrade, descending 
from a platform four easy steps to the floor of the gallery, which 
was furnished with arm chairs and spread with rich carpets. 

On this platform was a pedestal, covei'ed with green, supporting 
the figure of "Plenty." As soon as the President entered the 
Colonnade he was saluted with cheers, after which an Ode was 
sung by a select body of singers seated under the canopy on the 
arch. Our engraving was reproduced from the Mass. Magazine 
for January. 1790, and the order of "Procession" from a copy in 
the Public Library. 



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Boston, Oct.- 19," 1789. 

AS this town is shortly to be honoured with a visit from the PRESIDENT of the United States: 
In order that we may pay •our respects to him, in a manner whereby every inhabitant may see so 
illustrious and amiable a character, and to prevent the disorder and danger which must ensue from 
a great assembly of people without order, a Committee appointed by a respectable number of in- 
habitants, met for the purpose, recommend to their Fellow-Citizens to arrange themselves in the following or- 
der, in a 

O C E S S 

It is also recommended, that the person who shall be chosen as head of each order of Artizans, Trades- 
men, Manufacturers, &.c. shall be known by displaying a WHITE FLAG, with some device thereon expres- 
sive of their several callings, and to be numbered as in the arrangement that follows, which is alphabetically dis- 
posed, in order to give general satisfaction, — The Artizans, &c. to display such insignia of their craft, as they 
can conveniently carry in their hands. That uniformity may not be wanting, it is desired that the several 
Flag-etoffB be SEVI:1N feet long, and the Flags a tard equare. 



OKDER OF PROCESSION 



MU5ICK. 
Tbe Selectmen, 
Overseers of the foo/. 
Town Treasurer, 
Town Clerk, 
Magistrates, 

Consuls of France and Holland, 

The Officers of his MosLCIiristian MnjcBly's Squadron, 
Tbe Rev. Clergy, 
Physicians, 
Lawyers, 

Merchants and Traders, 
Marine Society, 
blasters of Vessels, 
Revenue Officers, 

Strangers, who may wish to attend* 
Bakers, .... No. 1. 

Blacksmiths, &c. - ■ • No. 2. 

Block-makers,' .... No. 3. 

Boat-builders, ... No. 4. 

Cafoinet and Chair.makers, - . No. 5. 

Card-makers, .... No. C. 

Carvers, .... No. 7, 

Chaise and Coach-makers, . • No. 8. 

Clock and Watch.makers, • . No. 9. 

Coopers. .... No. 10. 

Copper»roithB, Bmziers and Founders, - No. 11. 

Cordwainers, &c. .... No. 12. 
Distillers, .... No. 13. 

Duck Manufacturers, . . . No. 14. 

Engravers, . - - No. 15. 

Glazlersand Plumbers, • - . No, It;. 



Goldsmiths and Jewellers, ... 

Hair-Dressers, . * 

Hatters and Furriers, 
House Carpenters, 

Lenther Dressers, ;inil Leather Breeches > 
.Makers, . . . j 

Limners and Portrait Painters. 
Masons, -..-., 
Mast-makers, .... 

Mathematical Instrumenl-maKci's, 
Millers, .... 

Painters, . . - . . 

Paper Staincrs, ... 

Pewlerers, ' . 
Printers, ijook, binders and Stationers, 
Rig£;ei-5, 

Rope-makcT:, .... 

Saddlers. - - . . 

Sail-makers, .... 

Shipwrights, to include Caulkers, Ship-joiners, 

Hcad-Iuiilders and Sawyers, 
bugar-boilers, 

Tallow-Chandlers, &c. ... 
Tanners. . . - 

Taylors^ .... 

Tin. plate Workers, ... 

Tobacconist.-;, . - . - 



No. 17. 
No. 18. 
No. 19. 
No. 20. 

No. 21. 

No. 22. 
No. 23. 
No. 24. 
No. 2fi. 
No. 26. 
No. 27. 
No. 2U. 
No. 29. 
No. 30. 
No. 31. 
No. 32. 
No, 33. 
No. 34, 

'. No. 35. 

No. 36. 
No. 37. 
No, 88. 
No. 39. 
No. 40. 
No. 41. 
No. 42. 
No. 43. 
No. 44. 
No. 45. 
No. 46. 



Truckmen, 
Turners,, 
Upholsterers, 
IVharfingers, 
W Iieelwrights, 
Seamen, 

N. B. — In the above arrangement, some trades are omitted — from the idea, that they would incorporate themselves with the branches 
mentioned, to which they are generaUj attached. For instance— it is supposed, that under the head ol Slacklmilhi, the Armourers, Cutlers, 
■Whitesmiths and other workers in iron, would he included ; and the same with respect to other trades. 

Each division of the al)ove arrangement is requested to meet on such parade as it may agree on, and march into the Mall — No. 1 of the 
Artizans, £tc. forming at the South-end thereof. The Marshalts will then direct in wliat manner the Procession will move to meet the 
President on his arrival in town. When the frbnt of the Procession arrives at the extremity of tiie town, it will halt, and the whole will 
then be^directed to opetfthc column— one half of each rank moving to toe right, aud the other half to the left — and then face inwards, so a« 
to form an avenue through which the President is to pass, to the galeries to be erected at the State-House. 

Iris requested that the several School-masters conduct their Scholars to the neighbourhood of the State-Boute, and form them in such 
order as the Marshalls shall direct. 
The Marine Society is desired to appoint somepersDQ to arrange end accompany the seamen. 




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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 293 

VIEW OF THE CORNER OF WINTER, WASHINGTON AND 
SUMMER STREETS. 

This view is repi'oduced from a painting in the possession of 
Dr. Eobert Willard, and was made about 1840. It shows what 
great changes have taken place in this locality within the past iev; 
years. It is now the centre of the retail dry goods trade. Alany of 
the finest stores in Boston are located in this vicinity, and in no 
section of the city has real estate advanced more rapidly. Our 
view shows Winter street in the fqregi'ound, crossed by Washing- 
ton street, across which is seen Summer street and Trinity Church. 

VUE DE BOSTON. 

' ' Prospect of the great street opposite the old South Church of 
the Presbyterians at Boston." This is the translation of the in- 
scription on this print, which is one of a series of American views 
published at Anguslwurg, Bavaria, at about the time of the 
American Revolution. A complete set of these views are in the 
Boston Public Libi-ary. This view is intended to represent a scene 
on what is now Washington street opposite the Old South Church. 
It is purely a work of the imagination as can be readily seen by 
the architecture of the buildings which is that of the style in vogue 
in Eui-opean cities at that period, there being at that time no such 
buildings in Boston. Neither was there such a wide, straight 
thorougliiiire in the town at that time. The only portion of the 
view that relates to America in the least degree, is that of the 
Indian with the bow which the artist has incorporated into his 
sketch. We have reproduced this view, not on account of any 
intrinsic value it may possess, but to show the conception the 
people of Europe had of America at that period. The size of the 
original views are 15^x12 inches. 

TREMONT AND BOYLSTON STREETS IN 1800. 

We have reproduced these views from the original drawing in 
the City Hall, Boston. The only building that we recognize on 
the sketch as now standing is the King's Chapel. 



294 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

FIRST CHURCH. 

This was the first meeting-house built in Boston, the situation 
chosen for it was on the south side of State street, where Brazer's 
Building now stands. The society is older than Boston itself, for 
it was formed in Chai-lestown July 30, 1630, and removed to what 
is now Boston, in August, 1632. 

The building is said to have had mud walls and a thatched roof, 
which is about all the description we have concerning it. Our 
view of it is reproduced from a small work entitled the "Boston 
Revival," published in 1842, and is drawn from such desci'iptions 
and intimations as could be gathered from the early writers. 

The society continued to worship in this iiide structure until 
1640, when the growth of population compelled them to erect a 
larger edifice. After some discussion they decided to build upon 
the site of what is now Rogers Building, lately Joys Building, an 
engi'aving and description of which will be found elsewhere in this 
work. The second meeting house was destroyed by fire October 
2, 1711, and the third, or Old Brick, as it was afterwards called, 
erected on the same spot, and first occupied May 3, 1713. The 
cut that we present here of the Old Brick was reproduced by the 
Photo-Electrotj'pe Company, from the Polyanthus Magazine. The 
old clock seen on the front of the church was the first, without 
doubt, placed in any public position in the town. The bell of the 
Old Brick sounded the alarm on the evening of the Boston massa- 
cre of March 5th, 1770. 

Shortly after the siege of Boston, Gen. Washington, with all his 
staff and numerous state dignitaries, attended the seiwice in the 
Old Brick. Afterwards, so the newspaper of the day says, '• they 
adjourned to the Bunch of Grapes Tavern" to refresh the body. 

In 1808 the society removed to Chauncy Place, where they re- 
mained until 1868, when the present beautiful structure ou the 
corner of Berkely and Marlborough streets was completed. 

November 9, 1881, the church celebrated the 250th anniversary 
of its foundation. A memorial volume containing a full account 
of the interesting exercises on that occasion, with the speeches de- 
livered and four historical sermons, three of them by the pastor 
and one by the late Dr. Frothingham, has recently been published. 

The infonnation contained in this article was kindly contributed 
by the son of the present pastor, Mr. A. B. Ellis. 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 299 

king's chapel. 

The Episcopalians became permanently established in Boston in 
1686. There were Episcopalians, such as Blackstone and others, 
seated at Shawmut and its neighborhood earlier than any other 
sects. They were, however, forced out of the country, and it 
was not until 1664, when the Commissioners landed in Boston and 
demanded, in the king's name, that liberty should be given, to all 
who should desire it, to use the Book of Common Prayer, that the 
church service was performed in Boston without molestation. 
Even then, though protected by the King's Commissioner's, who 
had a Chaplain of that faith with them, no pennanent footing was 
established, nor was there any church edifice for persons of that 
sect in the town. On the return of Mr. Eandolph, one of the 
King's Commissioners, to Boston, there came with him Mr. Robert 
Eatclifl", an Episcopal clergyman. The old government being the 
next day superseded, all persons residing in Boston friendly to 
the English church came forward, and thus a society of Episco- 
palians had its beginning in Boston. 

At fii'st their meetings were held in private houses. At length 
application was made to the officers of the South church to be 
allowed to hold their meetings in the meeting-house of that society, 
proposing to accommodate their time of worship to the other 
society. This was anything but agreeable to the South society. 
Finding that such a privilege was not likely to be allowed, a com- 
mittee waited on the Council, who granted them the use of " the 
east end of ye Town-house, where ye Deputies used to meet, 
until those who desire his ministry (Mr. Ratcliff) shall provide a 
fitter place." Hence it appears that the first regular meeting- 
place of the Episcopal society in Boston was in the Town-house. 

Such was the state of afi'airs of the Episcopalians on the arrival 
of the frigate Kingfisher, December 20, 1686, which brought over 
Sir Edmund Andros, the first royal governor, who, the next day 
after his arrival, applied for one of the meeting-houses in which 
to perform religious services. A committee waited on his excel- 
lency to remonstrate, but it availed nothing, for in the following 
March Gov. Andros sent a demand for the key of the South 
church, " that they may say prayers there," and two days later, 
March 25, the Episcopalians performed their services in the South 
church, and continued to occupy it till Andros was deposed, in 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON 



1689. Before that event occurred, contributions were collected 
throughout the country to the amount of £256, contributed by 
ninety-six individuals, and a house was built at a cost of £284. 
How the society obtained the land on which the church was built 
has not been discovered, but it is not at all improbable that it was 
taken by Gov. Andros out of the common burial-place which was 
given to the town by Mr. Isaac Johnson. It was of wood, and 
stood upon part of the ground now occupied by the present 
edifice, at the north-east corner of Tremont and School streets. 
Our drawing of it was made from a south-east view of Boston, 
published by Wm. Price in 1720. It gives also a good view of 




THE FIRST king's CHAPEL. 

Beacon Hill with the beacon on top of it. There were no pews 
in the church up to 1693. In that year the officers of Sir Francis 
Wheeler's fleet, which put into Boston to recruit, made up a dona- 
tion for the church amounting to fifty-six pounds. The next year 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 303 

the pews were built at an expense of eighty-five pounds In 1689 
it was provided with a bell. Between 1710 and 1713 the old 
church was rebuilt and enlarged to twice its original size. Mr. 
Thonaas Brattle gave an organ when it was finished. This, no 
doubt, was the first organ in Boston. A clock was given in 1744. 
No account of the dedication of the first church has been found, 
but the first meeting in it is fixed upon June 50, 1687. The 
The second building stood until April 2, 1753, when it was taken 
down, and the corner stone of the present building was laid by 
Governor Shirley. The building was completed and opened for 
divine service August 21, 1754. It cost to build £7405 sterling. 
It has not since undergone any essential alteration in its exterior 
appearance. Our engraving of it is as it appears at the time of 
writing, 1882. 

At the time of the Revolutionary war, in 1776, the society was 
broken up ; many of its important supporters were loyalists, who 
fled from Boston, and with them their minister. Rev. Dr. Caner. 
In retaliation for what had been done by Andros, and later by the 
king's troops in using the South meeting-house for a riding-school, 
the King's Chapel was taken possession of by that society and 
occupied by them for a period of nearly five years, when it was 
again occupied by the Episcopal society, and its name changed to 
Stone Chapel, in conformity with other changes which grew out 
of a hatred to kingly authority. On the accession of Queen Ann 
it was called by some Queen's Chapel. It is now generally known 
by its old name of King's Chapel. In 1785, the society, in con- 
sequence of the doctrinal changes of its own minister, adopted a 
modified form of the English liturgy in place of the original, ex- 
cluding all acknowledgement of the Trinity, and thus Unitarian- 
ism, as it was at length called, became a substantial reality in 
Boston. This society for many years remained the only one of 
any note in New England which was confessedly Unitarian. 



304 AXTIQUE VIEWS OF B OSTOMY. 

FEDERAL STREET CHURCH. 

In 1720, and for several years following, many Scotch Presby 
terians came to New England. Among them was Archibald Stark, 
the fiither of General John Stark, a graduate of the University of 
Glasgow. The vessel on which he came contained many cases of 
small pox, and the party was not allowed, on that account, to land 
in Boston. They then went to Sheepscott, Maine, and afterwards 
settled at a place in New Hampshire they called " Londonderry," 
because manj' of them had lived in and about Londonderry in Ire- 
land for sometime previous to their leaving tliat country, with 
which they were not pleased. A large number of these Scotch 
Presbj-terians, at the head of -whom was the Rev. JohnMoorhead, 
settled in Boston, and although they were a good acquisition to 
this place, being industrious and orderly, and in time introduced 
several arts and improvements among the people, yet they at tirst 
met with a cold reception, being viewed as inferiors and intruders. 

These emigrants purchased a lot of gi-ound at the corner of 
Berry street and Long Lane, and converted a barn which stood on 
the ground into a meeting-house. This was in 1729. and this 
humble editice served them for a place of worship until 174-1 ; al- 
though, in the mean time, two small additions in the shape of 
wings were added to it. In the year last mentioned, a substantial 
and convenient church was built, after the fashion of the churches 
of that time (as represented by the engraving aimexed), and with 
that old church there is much of interest associated. It was with- 
in its walls that delegates met in convention to decide w'hether 
Massachusetts should accept the Federal Constitution proposed 
for the United States ; and it was here that it was tinally accepted, 
on the seventh of February, 1788. It was owing to this circum- 
stance that the name of Long Lane was changed to that of Federal 
street. 

The old or second house was of wood, the tower fronting on 
Federal street. This was succeeded by a Gothic structure, which 
was completed, on the site of the old one, in the course of 1809. 




FEDERAL STREET CHURCH. 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON: 307 

The Eev. Daniel Annan was the next Pastor after Mr. Moorhead. 
He was installed in 1783, and was dismissed at his own request, 
by the Presbyteiy, in 1786, and was afterward settled over a church 
in Philadelphia. In the period succeeding the death of Mr. Moor- 
head and the settlement of Mr. Annan, occurred the war of the 
Revolution, during which regular preaching was interrupted. After 
the evacuation of the town by the British, in March, 1776, the 
Rev. Andrew Croswell was employed to preach to the society. In 
1787, Dr. Jeremy Belknap was installed over this church, he hav- 
ing taken a dismission from a parish in Dover, New Hampshire, 
for that purpose. He was an eminent scholar and historian. Be- 
fore the settlement of this gentleman, but not at his instance, or 
with any view of inviting him in particular, the society which had 
become reduced to a small number had relinquished the Presby- 
terian regimen and embraced the Congregational order, with a ten- 
dency towards Unitarianism. Dr. Belknap died suddenly on the 
twentieth of June, 1798, aged fifty-four. He was succeeded by 
Rev. John Snelling Popkin, D. D., who, in 1802, being appointed 
to the Greek professorship in Harvard college, was succeeded by 
Rev. William Ellery Channing, D. D., who was ordained June 
first, 1803. 

There was a sufficient depth of water near the meeting-house for 
smelts to be taken. Shaw cites Dr. Channing as saying he had 
taken these fish at the corner of Federal and Milk streets, and 
another authority as having seen three feet of water in Federal 
street. 

The name of Berry, or Bury street, as it was called in ancient 
orthography, was changed to that of Channing, its present name, 
in honor of him. The Rev. Ezra Stiles Gannett was ordained 
there in 1824, and was killed in the ten'ible railroad accident at 
Revere, in 1871. The building erected in 1809, which succeeded 
the one shown in our engraving, was an elegant house, designed 
by Charles Bulfinch, and was, when built, the only specimen of 
pure Gothic architecture in Boston. In 1859, it was taken down 
to give way to the demands of business, and the present handsome 
structure on Arlington street was subsequently erected in its stead, 
and is now known as the Arlington Street Church (Unitarian). 
The present pastor is J. F. W. Ware. 

Our reproduction of the church built in 1744 is from the Poly- 
anthus Magazine for October, 1812. It is an excellent reproduction 
of the original. 



308 AXTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

THE OLD SOUTH CHURCH. 

The historical associations surrounding the Old South, at the 
corner of Milk and Washington streets, make it one ot the most 
interesting of all the links that remain to connect Boston of the 
past with Boston of the present. The Old South society was or- 
ganized in 1669, and the "meeting house" was built soon after- 
ward on a piece of land given by the widow of Rev. John Norton. 
In 1729 the original meeting house, which was of wood, was taken 
down, and the present brick structure was built on the same spot. 

Sir Edmund Andros, on his arrival in Boston in 1686, demanded 
the keys of the Old South and ordered that the bell be rung ' ' for 
those of the Church of England." This was very galling to the 
society, but they were permitted, by a strange revolution of the 
wheels of time, to turn the tal)les. On the evacuation of Boston 
by the British, the rector of King's chapel and his congregation 
joined in the hegira. The Old South had been used as a riding 
school by General Burgoyne's regiment during their possession of 
Boston and it was in such a condition that the society decided to 
worship in King's chapel, which they did in the autumn of 1777, 
continuing to worship there for five years. 

Judge Samuel Sewall, Chief Justice of the Colony, who was 
one of the judges during the witchcraft trials of 1692, was a mem- 
ber of the Old South. He afterward arose in the church and ex- 
pressed deep contrition for his share in the wretched business. 

Here Lovell, "Warren, Church and Hancock delivered their ora- 
tions on the anniversary of the State Street Massacre. Benjamin 
Franlclin was Ijaptised in the old wooden church and there wor- 
shiped. The famous tea party meeting adjourned ft"om Faneuil 
Hall to the Old South, the former being too small to accommodate 
the assemblage. 

AVashington stood in the galler}' of this church alter the evacua- 
tion and looked down upon the ruin wrought l)y the riding school. 
The old building had two narrow escapes from fire. Many years 
ago it was saved by the superhuman efforts on the part of Isaac 
Harris, the mast-maker, who ascended to the roof while it was on 
fire and succeeded in extinguishing the flames Eov this ])rave act 
he received a silver pitcher. During the great fire of November 
9 and 10, 1872, that reduced the greater portion of the business 
section of the city to ashes, it had another very narrow escape. 



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ANTIQUE VIEW8 OF BOSTON. 311 

The fire was fought resolutely at this spot and the Old South stop- 
ped its further progress in that direction. The building caught in 
several places, but the fire was extinguished before doing much 
harm to it. 

The Old South society arose from a schism in the First Church, 
and, like it, originated in Charlcstown. Directly over the main 
entrance a tablet bearing the following inscription was placed in 
1867: 

Old South. 
Chorch Gathered, 1669. 
First House Built, 1670. 
This House Erected, 1729- 
Desecrated by British Troops, 1775-6. 

Again, within five years after this tablet was placed there the 
wheels of time turned the tables and the Old South was desecrated 
(that is, if this teim is not a misnomer, for the place was never 
consecrated,) and this too by the consent of the society that wor- 
.shiped there, who had been seeking for an opportunity of dis- 
posing of the old edifice without ofiending public sentiment, and 
building a modei'n church in the more fashonable neighborhood of 
the Back Bay district. This opportunity arrived after the great 
fire of 1872, when the society leased it to the government to be 
used for a post ofiice, and as was to be expected, after it ceased to 
be used for that purpose the building and land were sold, the build- 
ing to be torn down immediately. Work was commenced on its 
destruction. The clock, that thousands of eyes had looked up to 
every day for so many years past, was removed. The public was 
aroused ; meetings were held for its presenation ; the people were 
addressed by the leading citizens of Boston. The danger to the 
old buildinor was oT-eater than it ever had been from the British or 
the two fires from which it escaped destruction. A society of ladies 
was organized for its preservation. They have since occupied it as 
a museum of Revolutionary antiquities, and it is open daily to the 
public on payment of a small admission fee. It is a question, how- 
ever, whether funds enough can be raised to save this historic 
monument of the past, for it is encumbered with a heavy mortgage 
and the land is very valuable for business purposes. Our engrav- 
ing was reproduced from Gleason's Pictorial of 185.3, the first 
illustrated paper published in this country. 



312 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

CHRIST CHtTRCH, SALEM STREET. 

This was the second Episcopal Church erected in Boston and is 
the oldest in the City standing on its original ground, having been 
erected in 1 723. six j-ears before the Okf South. It is a brick edi- 
fice and has long been known as the " North End Church" and in its 
day was considered one of the chief architectural ornaments of 
the Noi-th End. The old steeple was blown down in the gi-eat 
gale of 1804, falling upon an old wooden building at the corner of 
Tileston Street, through which it crashed to theconsternation of 
the tenants, who. however, escaped injury. The steeple was re- 
placed from a design by Charles Bulfinch which carefully preserved 
the proportions of the original. The height of the steeple is 175 
feet, and the aggregate weight of the clnme of eight bells in it 
7,272 pounds ; the smallest weighing 620 pounds, and the largest 
1,545. These bells bear the following inscriptions : — 

First bell: "This peal of 8 Bells is the gift of a number of 
generous persons to Christ Church, in Boston, N. E., anno 1744, 
A. R." Second: " This church was founded in the year 1723. 
Timothy Cutler, D. D., the first rector, A. R., 1744." Third: 
"We are the first ring of Bells cast for the British Empire in 
North America, A. R., 1744." Fourth: •• God preserve the 
Church of England, 1744." Fifth : " "William Shirley, Esq., Gov- 
ernor of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, anno 1744." 
Sixth : ' ' The subscription for these Bells was begun by John 
Hammock and Robert Temple, church wardens, anno 1743; com- 
pleted by Robert Jenkins and John Gould, church wardens, anno 
1744." Seventh: "Since Generosity hath opened our mouths, 
our tongues shall ring aloud its praise 1744." Eighth: Abel 
Rudhall, of Gloucester, cast us all, anno 1744. This chime brought 
from England, is the oldest in America. 

The Bible, prayer books and silver now in use were given in 
1733, by King George 11. The figures of Cherubim in front of 
the organ, and the chandeliers, were taken from a French vessel by 
the privateer " Queen of Hungary," and presented to the church 
in 1746. The Sunday school was established in 1815, when no 
other was known to exist. The interior of the church retains 
much of its antique appearence. A tablet was placed on the 




K.«6SATftl> rOA T«ft SlireiLI Of lOirtiH, 



CHRIST CHURCH. 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 315 

front of the church in 1878, bearing the following inscription : 

The Signal Lanterns of 
Paul Revere 
Displa7ed in the steeple of this church 

April 1775 

Warned the country of the mirch 

of the Brhish troops to 

Lexington and Concoid. 

General Gage, it is said, witnessed from Christ Church steeple 
the burning of Charlestown and battle of Bunker Hill. 

Interments were made under the Church soon after its erection. 
It is related that Major Pitcairn, of the British Marines, who led 
the troops to Concord and was repulsed, and who afterwards fell 
mortally wounded in the battle of Bunker Hill, was taken after 
the last named battle to a house in Prince Street, where the gas- 
ometer now stands, and after death was temporarily deposited 
under Christ Church, and afterwards cai-riedto England for burial. 
During the seige of Boston, in the war of the revolution, it was 
frequently used for the Ijurial of British officers. About fifty years 
ago a body was exhumed in the north-east corner of the cemetery, 
curiously preserved by embalming, and with it were found ever- 
greens. This body had then laid there eighty or more years ; and 
was originally encased in two caskets, each covered with coarse 
linen cloth impregnated with a protective gum. Mr. Thomas, 
whose remains were thus discovered, had died in Bermuda and 
been brought here for burial. With the exception of the thirty- 
three tombs and the heating apparatus of the church, nothing is to 
be seen within this enclosure, made sacred by the burial of many 
of the worthy old residents of the north-end. 

Our engraving was reproduced by the Photo-Electrotvpe 
Engi-aving process from a cut in Shaw's History of Boston 1817 . 



316 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

NEAV SOUTH CHURCH. CHURCH GREEN. 

The name of Church Green was applied very early to the vacant 
space lying at the junction of Bedford and Summer streets, 
fi-om which we may infer that it was looked upon as a proper site 
for a meeting-house by the earliest settlers of Boston. The land 
was gi-auted by the town to a number of petitioners in 1715. 
Samuel Adams, father of the patriot, was one. There was not a 
more beautiful site for a chui'ch in Boston. The ground was high 
and level, the old church having an unobstructed outlook over the 
harbor. Samuel Checkley was the first pastor, ordained in 1718. 
Our engraving represents the church as rebuilt in 1814. The 
originators of the movement for the new church held their first 
meeting at the Old Bull Tavern, at the corner of Summer and Sea 
streets. The building was of granite from the Chelmsford quar- 
ries, near the Merriraac T?iver, and was brought through the ilid- 
dlesex Canal. The body of the building was in shap6 of an octa- 
gon, forming a square of seventy-six feet in diameter, four sides 
being forty-seven feet, and four smaller twenty feet each. The 
height was thirty-four feet. The porch was of the same extent as 
one of the sides, and advanced sixteen feet, in front of which was 
a portico of four tiuted columns of Grecian doric. The portico 
was crowned with a pediment, surrounded by plain attic. A tower 
rose from the centre of the attic, which included the lielfry. The 
entire height was one hundred and ninety feet, including the spire. 

The architect was Charles Bultiucli who planned many buildings 
in Boston, and was also employed by President jNIonroe in super- 
intending the erection of the public buildings at Washington. In 
1868 it T\''as demolished, and the temples of traffic have arisen in 
its stead. 

Fifty years gone by, Smnmer street was, beyond doubt, the 
most beautiful avenue in Boston. Magnificent trees then skirted 
its entire length, overarching the driveway with interlacing 
branches, so that you walked or rode as within a grove, in a light 
softened by the leafy screen, and over the shadows of the big elms 
lying across the pavement. The palaces of trade now rear their 
splendid fronts where stood the gardens or mansions of the old 
merchants or statesmen of Boston. Our engi-aviug was reproduced 
from the American Magazine, July, 1835, by the Photo-Electro- 
type Process, and is considered a very fine view of the structure 
before its demolition. 




NEW SOUTH CHURCH. 




TRINITY CHURCH. 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 



321 



TRINITY CHURCH. 

The first building, which occupied nearly the same site as the 
second, was consecrated in 1735. It was of wood, and its exter- 
nal appearance had little the resemblance of a place of worship, 
being without portico, belfry, or the smallest external ornament. 
Its size and materials made it an object of dread for a long period 
of time to not a few of the inhabitants, in contemplation of its des- 
truction by fire. It may be considered as almost miraculous that, 
standing in the midst of a populous city, it should have escaped 
for nearly a century the ravages of the devouring element, and at 




OLD TRINITY CHURCH. 

length should be taken down by the same means by which it was 
erected, and for placing in its room a building in every point its 
contrast This second building was built of rough blocks of granite, 
and was considered to be one of the most substantial and best 
fire-proof buildings in the country, and yet it was swept away, as 
it were, in an instant, in the great fire of Nov. 9th, 1872. The 
reader by referring to the accompanying prints, which were re- 
produced from the American Magazine for September, 1834, will 



322 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

have a correct idea of both buildings. Notwithstanding the mean 
external appearance of the old church, it was the most highly 
ornamented one in the interior of any in the country. The build- 
ing was ninety feet long and sixty broad. There were three en- 
trances in front unprotected by porches. The interior was com- 
posed of an arch resting upon Corinthian pillars with handsomely 
carved gilded capitals. In the chancel were some paintings, con- 
sidered very beautiful in their day. The corner stone was laid 
by the Rev. Roger Price of King's Chapel, April 15, 1734. In 
1740, Rev. Addington Davenport, assistant minister of King's 
Chapel, was chosen the first minister. In 1741, Peter Faneuil 
ofl'ered £100 towards buying an organ. In 1742, Gov. Shirley 
presented the church with communion plate, table cloths and 
liooks. An organ was procui'ed in 1744. When General Wash- 
ington visited Boston in 1789, he went to hear Doctor (afterwards 
Bishop) Parker preach in Trinity church. In 1828, it was voted 
To take down the old building and erect a new stone church. The 
corner stone was laid with appropriate ceremonies by the rector. 
Rev. John S. J. Gai-dner, November 11, 1829. Trinity church 
occupied the site of the old Pleiades or " Seven-Star Inn," on the 
west corner of Summer and Hawley streets. From this noted 
inn Summer street took its ancient name of Seven-Star Lane. 
After the second church was burnt in the great fire of 1872, a 
new building was erected at the junction of Huntington Ave- 
nue, Boylston and Clarendon streets. It is the finest church edi- 
fice in New England, if not in the United States. 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 325 

HOLLIS STREET CHURCH. 

The Unitarians in 1788, from designs furnished by Charles 
Bultinch, erected the old " Hollis Street Church," as it was long 
and familarly known. 

The original name of Hollis street was Hansard. Street and 
church were named for Thomas Hollis, an eminent London Mer- 
chant, and benefactor of Hansard College. The growth of this 
part of Boston, by 1730. called for a place of Morship nearer than 
Summer Street. Governor Belcher who resided in that vicinity, 
gave the site, and a small wooden meeting house, thirty by forty 
feet, was erected in 1732. The first minister was Rev. Mather 
Byles, who had a gi-eat local reputation as a punster. A nephew 
of Thos. Hollis gave the church a bell weighing 800 pounds, and 
it began the joyful peal on the morning of the lUth. of May, 1766, 
as nearest Liberty Tree, and was answered by Christ Church from 
the other extremity of the town, announcing the Stamp Act Re- 
peal. The steeples were hung with flags, and Liberty Tree dec- 
orated with banners. 

The following humorous allusion to Dr. Byles, is copied from 
a poem of thirty-seven stanzas, descriptive of the Boston clergy 
published about 1774. 

" There's punning Byles. provokes our smiles, 
A man of stately parts ; 
Who visits folks to crack his jokes, 
That never mend their hearts. 

" With strutting gait and wig so great 
He walks along the streets. 
And throws out wit, or what's like it, 
f o every one he meets " 

The church was destroyed by the great fire of 1787, but the 
society nothing daunted, reared the wooden edifice of which we 
present an engraving; reproduced by the Photo-Electrotj^^e 
process, from the Massachusetts Magazine for 1793. 

It was a frame edifice 72 by 60 feet and was surmounted by 
towers. In 1810 it was removed, to give place to the present 
structure, and was floated on a raft down the harbor to East 
Braintree, where Eev. Jonas Perkins preached in it forty-seven 
years. It is now used as a school house and both steeples have 
been removed. 



326 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

BRATTLE STREET CHTJECH. 

The first movement that resulted in the formation of the Brattle 
Street Church, occurred in 1697, when Thomas Brattle gave the 
land, on which the church was afterwards built, to Thomas Clark 
and others, for this purpose. It was built of wood and was finished 
in 1699. It had a tower and bell on the west end. The door was 
on the south side of the church, opposite which was the pulpit, 
which contained an hour glass enclosed in a glass frame. It was 
known at that time as the " Manifesto Church." in consequence of 
a declaration of principles by it, in answer to a protest from the 
older churches against its more liberal form of worship. This 
building was rebuilt of brick in 1773. Our engraving of it was 
reproduced from " Gleason's Pictorial "of 1854, and represents ^ 
the building as it appeared at the time of its demolition in 1872. 
The first movement towards the erection of this structure was by 
John Hancock, in the year 1772, who was ever a liberal member 
and benefactor of this society. The house cost £8000 of which 
Hancock gave one-eighth part. Bowdoin gave £200, and offered 
to the society a piece of land on the corner of Tremont and Har- 
vard streets, a beautiful spot, on which to erect the house, which 
ofler it is thought the parish unwisely rejected. Hancock also gave 
a bell, on which was inscribed 

*' I to the Church the living call 
And to the grave summon all." 

This was the church of Colman, the Coopers, Thatcher, Buck- 
minster, Edward Everett, Palfrey and Lothrop, an array of cleri- 
cal talent unsurpassed in the Boston pulpit. General Gage quar- 
tered the 29th in the church and vicinity, taking up his own quar- 
ters in the house opposite. Gage told Mr. Turell that he had no 
fears for his men while quartered within such walls. Neveiiheless, 
the night before the evacuation a twenty-four pound shot from 
Cambridge struck the tower, and falling to the ground was picked 
up by Mr. Turell, and in 1824 was imbeded in the masonry, where 
it remained until the work of demolition began. When the soci- 
ety sold the church they reserved the ancient quoins, pulpit, bell 
and cannon ball. 




BRATTLE STREET CHURCH. 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 329 

FEDERAL STREET CATHEDRAL (ROMAN CATHOLIC) . 

Under the strict rule of the Puritans, Catholics were prohibited 
from entering the colony under pain of death. If a Jesuit, how- 
ever, should be shipwrecked on these shores, in such a case he 
would not be hung. This law was made in 1647. Even under 
these oppressive laws, the Jesuit priests entered New England, 
fi'om Canada, and established missions among the Indians on the 
Kennebeck and Penobscot rivers. The most prominent among 
these early missionaries was Sebastian Rale. The reverence of the 
French and Indians for him occasioned the bitter hatred of the 
Puritans, and a reward was offered for his head. Captain Hilton 
was sent against him at Noridgewock and the village reduced to a 
heap of ruins. Again, in 1724, the village was attacked and de- 
stroyed during the absence of the braves, and the hei'oic missionary 
was riddled with small shot and hacked to pieces. The war of 
1745, which desolated what is now Maine, New Brunswick and 
Nova Scotia, gave a death blow to the Catholic establishments in 
Maine. During this war a hundred pounds was offered for the 
scalp of any male Indian over twelve years of age, and tifty pounds 
for the scalp of any woman or child. This nearly exterminated 
the Indians, and what few were left sought shelter in Canada. 
The missions of Maine thus became deserted, and the fall of Quebec 
seemed to forebode still greater dilEculties and danger. 

It was nearly one hundred and tifty years after the settlement of 
Boston before any Catholic immigi'auts voluntarily came here. 
About 1650, and for some years after, many Irish Catholics were 
sent to Boston and sold to any of the inhabitants who were in 
want of slaves. These were probably the first Catholics in Bos- 
ton. In 1756, Colonel Winslow and Captain Malley of New Eng- 
land, by order of the government, ruthlessly tore away from their 
homes fifteen thousand Arcadians or French inhabitants of Nova 
Scotia, after burning their villages and farm houses and plundering 
them of everything. Many of these people were left in Boston 
and other parts of New England, and were reduced to a state of 
slavery. As the penal laws deprived these Catholics of all relig- 
ious instruction, their children grew up Protestants. With the 
Revolution, however, a change came. Washington had scarcely 
appeared in the camp at Boston, when he found preparations on 
foot for learning the Pope in effig}'. He informed the people ' ' That 



330 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 



he had been appraised of a design of observing that foolish and 
childish custom, and expressed his surprise that there should be 
officers and soldiers in the army so void of common sense as not to 
see the impropriety of such a step at such a juncture, when we are 
soliciting and seeking the friendship and alliance of the people of 
Canada and France ; and under such circumstances to be insulting 
their religion is monstrous." 

"When the Revolutionary war tei-minated, there were in Boston 
a few Frenchmen and Spaniards and about thirty Irishmen, among 
whom a clergyman, who had been a chaplain in the Fi'ench navy, 
resolved to settle. They assembled for worship in what was form- 




FRANKLIN STREET CATHEDRAL. 



erly the French Protestant chuich on School street, erected by the 
Huguenots, many of whom came to Boston in 1686, after the re- 
vocation of the Edict of Nantes and the Massacre of St. Bartholo- 
Few of those that established this church could have 



mew. 



thought that a branch of that power, from which they had fled 
their native land upon pain of death, would so soon flourish on a 
spot which they had chosen for a place of refuge. Mass was per- 
formed in it for the first time on Nov. 2, 1788. In 1799, as the 
lease of this structure had nearly expired and their numbers had 
greatly increased, it was decided to purchase a site and erect a 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 331 

church. The Protestants generously contributed to build this 
edifice, which their fathers would not have tolerated for a moment. 
It was built on Franklin street, on the site of what is now known 
as Cathedral Buildin.o:, and was dedicated September 29, 1803, and 
called the Church of 'the Holy Cross. This was the first Catholic 
church erected in Boston. In 1810, Boston was erected into an 
Episcopal See. In 1827, the Cathedral was enlarged for the ac- 
commodation of the congregation and school, which had greatly 
increased. Our engraving shows it as it appeared after these im- 
provements. It was reproduced from a work entitled " Sketches 
of the establishment of the Church in New England," and is a cor- 
rect view of it as it appeared before its destruction in 1860, which 
was occasioned by the greatly enhanced value of the land and the 
movement of population to other parts of the city. A massive 
and lofty temple now rears its huge bulk on the Neck, mainly 
founded on the price of the Franklin street Cathedral. 

SHIP BUILDING IN SOUTH BOSTON IN 1820, VIEW FROM LEEK 

HILL. 

Ship building was commenced in South Boston about the close 
of the war of 1812 l)y Messrs. Lincoln & Wheelwright under the 
superintendence of Mr. Samuel Kent, at the foot of Leek Hill, on 
whicli there formerly was a three gun battery. This view is from 
a water-color dra\ving in the Boston Museum, painted by J. 
Kidder, 1820. 

Leek Hill has been long since levelled. The site of the ship-yard 
is between Dorchester street and F street. The building on the 
left was Mr. Kent's residence and is still standing. The factory 
building near the water front is the fii-st iron foundry built in New 
England. In the distance can be seen Nook Hill, where several 
American soldiers were killed during the siege of Boston from 
cannon fired by the British from Boston Neck. Pirates were 
formerly executed here. Near the hill Ls Caines' glass house, the 
first successful flint glass manufactory in the Atlantic States. 



33 2 AXTl Q I Y; T ^IE I J '^" OF j: OS TOX. 

RUINS OF THE TJRSULINE CONVENT. 

After the establishment of the Roman Catholic church in Boston, 
the Ursuline Sisters opened a convent, which at first was a very 
small affair, but in 182G they removed to a place in Charlestown, 
which they named " Mount Benedict." It is now a part of Som- 
merville. This new, ornate and valuable educational establishment, 
which was erected on the summit of the mount, (vas reached by a 
gi'adual ascent from the Boston side, and from which a beautiful 
view was obtained of the city, with its State House and dome 
towering above all other buildings, and its capacious harbor, islands, 
fortifications and shipping. Between lies Charlestown, with the 
tall ol^elisk marking the battle ground of Bunker Hill. A little to 
the left, from the same position, the towns of Chelsea, iNIalden, 
Medford and Cambridge, with the verdant fields and highly culti- 
vated country lying between them. Then, toward the south, the 
towns of Dorchester, Roxbury and Brookline, backed by the beau- 
tiful Blue Hills. A large garden tastefully arranged, and beauti- 
ful lawns shaded with select forest trees, through which led ex- 
tended gravel walks, surrounded the building. Xothing could 
equal the lieautj' of this interesting spot when the buildings were 
destroyed by the hands of a ruthless mob, on the 11th of August, 
1834. The excitement that led to this outrage was owing to vague 
reports of improper conduct in the convent, and of the confine- 
ment of some females by threats and force when they were desirous 
of leaving it. It was confidently asserted by respectable men that 
such was the fact. But such a report could atlbrd no justification 
to the outrage committed. The persons engaged in the transac- 
tion should have been certain the reports were well founded, and 
even in that case their open violation of law and authority could 
not be justified, as long as suflacient remedy could be obtained by 
due course of law. Under the influence of the excited feelings of 
the people, the convent was broken into about midnight, the furni- 
ture broken and destroyed, as well as the fences adjoining the con- 
vent. Before firing the building, warning was given the inmates 
to retire, and search was made in the house to see if any remained 
before the fire was put to it. The building was totally destroyed, 
only the walls remaining, as shown in our engraving, made for the 
American Magazine, 1834. Several persons were arrested as par- 
ticipants in this work of destruction, who were tried and acquitted, 
as it was impossible to obtain full and direct proof against them. 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTOISf. 337 

HOUSE OF INDUSTET AND HOUSE OF CORRECTION, 
SOUTH BOSTON. 

No great city like Boston is ever without want, misery or crime. 
Grimly this trio stalk beside the silks, satins and broadcloths of 
the rich, making themselves known ; but the charity of the world 
is cold, and a public provision for this class has here, as well as in 
other cities, lieen found necessary. 

The establishment of the House of Correction was authorized by 
a vote of the town on the 7th of Maj% 1821. It was designed for 
the restraint and emplo^aiient of the idle and vicious poor, for 
habitual drunkards, beggars and those condemned for petty oflences 
in the inferior courts of justice. 

The House of CoiTection, at South Boston, is an elaborate in- 
stitution, thoroughly equipped, and has a steam-engine of twenty- 
horse power in its workshop. 

"The House of Industry is destined for the comfort, support 
and relief, and, as far as they are competent, for the employment 
of the virtuous poor, and of those alone who are reduced to seek 
this refuge from misfortune, or age, or infancy." This institution 
is now located at Deer Island, and the average number of inmates 
for the past year has been 580 ; the lai'gest number being 681 and 
the smallest number 469. 

These two buildings are of exactly the same architectural design, 
are built of coarse rough gi'anite, and are respectively 220 feet 
long, 343 feet wide and 29 feet high. 

The institutions of the city have ever been regarded with just 
pride by the citizens, and have l^een the models after which other 
nuuiicipalities have reared, it may be, more elaborate and costly 
institutions, but none that have more fully and ci-editably fulfilled 
the mission for which they have been established. 

The accompanying engraving, and also the Alms-house in Bos- 
ton, was reproduced from Snow's History of Boston, and are ex- 
cellent reproductions. The city of Boston is faintly indicated in 
the background. 



338 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

ALMS-HOUSES EN BOSTON. 

The first alms-house was erected on Beacon street, in 1662. It 
was burned in 1682, measures being immediately taken to rebuild 
it. It was a two story brick, with a gable roof, fronting on Bea- 
con street, and was of an L shape. It was not found adequate to 
fill the demands put upon it for a prison and a home for the poor, 
aged or infirm, and in 1712 measures were taken to build a Bride- 
well. This was erected in Park street, in what year does not ap- 
pear, but it is shown on the map of 1722. The alms-house be- 
came, in lapse of years, totally inadequate to its purpose, but no 
remedy was applied to these evils until 1801, when the building, 
of which we here present an engi'aving, was erected on Leverett 
street. During the Revolutionary war the inmates frequently suf- 
fered for the necessaries of life, and appear at all times to have 
largely depended on the charity of the townspeople. The alms- 
house was occupied by British wounded after the battle of Bunker 
Hill. It was erected on the bank of the river, from which a wharf, 
now forming the site of the old Lowell depot, extends. 

The new alms-house, as it was called, was a brick building of 
three stories, with a central structure from which wings extended. 
The central building was considerably higher than the rest, and 
had lofty, arched windows, with a raised pediment relieved by or- 
namental work ; on either gable stood a carved emblematic figure. 
The whole edifice was 275 feet in length by 56 in depth. It stood 
until May, 1825, when it was superseded by the House of Industry 
at South Boston, and the land sold to private individuals, A brick 
wall with iron gates suiTOunded the alms-house enclosure. 

It has always been the fate of some who have known better days 
to become dependants upon the public charity. One notable in- 
stance is mentioned of the daughter of a clergyman of the French 
Protestant church having sought and obtained an asylum in the Old 
Almshouse. She continued to visit and be received into the houses 
of her former friends, who, with intuitive delicacy, forebore to 
question her on the subject of her residence. 

The site of this building was occupied by the residence of no 
less a person than the first settler of Boston, William Blackstone. 
The point at which Cragie's bridge commences is called on the 
ancient plans of the town Barton's Point, and in our earliest history 
it is spoken of as Blackstone Point. The whole of the peninsula 
of Boston was for a time known as Blackstone Neck. 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 



343 



BIYSTIC RrVTIR BRIDGE. 

This important work was commenced in April, 1787, and was 
opened for passengers in September of the same year. It cost 
about £5300, The master workmen were Messrs Lemuel Cox and 
Jonathan Thompson. Two strong abutments were on each side 
of the river about 300 feet from high water mark. 

The bridge stood upon one hundred piers, each composed of six- 
sticks of oak timber, firmly imbedded in the bottom, and strength- 
ened by two solid wharves, The length of the bridge was 2005 
feet, exclusive of the abutments ; its width was 32 feet, and in the 
deepest water, was a convenient draw, i-aised hy a purchase. 
There was a neat plain railing on each side and eight lamps for the 
convenience and safety of passengers at night. The property 
was vested in 120 shares. The officers of the corporation were a 
president, two vice presidents, six directors, a treasurer, a clerk, 
and two toll gatherers. The right of possession was vested in the 
proprietors and their assigns forever, with a proviso that at the 
expiration of fifty years ft-om the day of opening the bridge, the 
Geneial Court may alter the rate of toll, which was established as 
follows : 

Coaches, chariots, phaetons 
and curricules Is. 6d. 

Man and wheelbarrow 2§d. 

Horse and neat cattle, not 
in team nor rode 2d. 

Sheep and swine fd. 

Double toll was required on the Sabbath Day. 

This view reproduced from the Massachusetts Magazine for 1790 
was taken from the heights of Bunker Hill. The town of Med- 
ford, seen at some distance with its sun-ounding hills and the Mys- 
tic river, in the fore ground, offer an interesting study for the 
antiquarian mind. 



Foot passengers 


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Man and horse 


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Horse and cart 


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9d. 


Horse and chaise 


- 


9d. 



344 AXTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

CHARLES KIVER BRIDGE. 

Boston, being entirely separated from the main land, except by 
its connection by means of the Neck on the south side of the town, 
it was thought expedient, as early as 1720, to build a bridge and 
connect the north side with the main land, but was doubtless 
abandoned on account of the large amount of funds its construc- 
tion would require. In 1738, the subject was again agitated, but 
the design was again laid aside, probably from the same cause as 
before, and it M'as not until June 17th, 1786, that the bridge was 
finally built and opened to the public. The engraving and follow- 
inff description was copied from the Massachusetts ilagazine for 
1789 :— 

The exercises attendant were witnessed by upwards of 20,000 
people. The ceremonies were ushered in at day break by the dis- 
charge ot thirteen cannon from Breed's Hill, Charlestown, and 
from Copp's Hill, Boston, accompanied by the ringing of the bells 
of Christ church. A long line of civic and military bodies, headed 
by the diS'erent branches of the legislature, started from the old 
State House as a salute was tired from the " Castle."' On their 
arrival at the bridge the procession formed two lines between which 
the president of the bridge compan}', Thomas Russell, and the 
other individuals forming the company passed on to the centre of 
the structure, and orders were given to fasten the draw, when the 
procession passed over. At this moment the thiiteen cannon on 
Copp's Hill were discharged, amid the cheers of the assemblage. 
As the company ascended Breed's Hill the thirteen cannon there 
were discharged. Two tables of 320 feet each, united at the end 
by a semicircular one, accommodating 800 persons, were located 
on the hill where -'the gentlemen," the narrative sajf-s, "spent the 
day in sober festivity, and separated at 6 o'clock." 

The whole fabric was completed in the course of thirteen 
months. All emoluments arising from toll were vested for 40 
years in the company who built it — " Proprietors of Charles River 
Bridge " — who began and finished the same with their own private 
means, at the end of which period, the bridge was to become the 
property of the Commonwealth. 

The length of this structure was 1503 feet. The abutment at 
'^harlestown, from the old landing, was 100 feet ; space to the first 
pier, 16J teet ; 36 piers at equal distance to the draw, 622J feet ; 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 347 

width of the draw, 30 feet ; 39 piers at equal distance from the 
draw, 672 feet; space to the abutment at Boston, IGJ feet; aliut- 
ment at Boston to the old landing, 45J feet. The 75 piers upon 
which this structure stood were composed of seven sticks of oak 
timber united by a cap piece, strong braces and girts and driven 
into the bed of the river, and secured firmly by a single pile on 
each side. The bridge was 42 feet in width, a foot way six feet 
wide and railed in on either side. The bridge had a gradual rise 
to the centre of two feet. Forty " elegant" lamps were erected 
at suitable distances. At the longest pier it was forty-six feet to 
the bed of the river. 

The fact that only eleven years before the opening of this bridge, 
to a day, the battle of Bunker Hill was fought, when guns were 
firing at each other from Copp's and Breed's hills, where they were 
now firing salutes, awakened the liveliest emotions. 

OLD SCOLLAT BUILDING AND SQUARE. 

Of all the great changes that have attended the progress of 
Boston during the past few years, none have been more marked 
than the formation of " Scollay Square," by the removal of the 
last of the long, wedge-shaped row of buildings, familiarly known 
for more than half a century to Bostonians as " Scollay's Build- 
ings," the last of which was removed about 30 years ago, and 
which have existed in some form or other for two centuries. These 
buildings came into the possession of William Scollay, in about 
1800, and from him the name was derived. The term "Scollay's 
Building," arose from the fact that the horse car conductors,' in 
passing, designated the locality as such, and soon, by " common 
fame," the place became so known. This row of wedge-shaped 
wooden buildings extended from the head of Cornhill to nearly 
opposite the head of Hanover street, with the point toward the 
latter. Both ends of the row were gradually demolished in con- 
sequence of the crowded condition of the thoroughfares on either 
side, leaving only the brick structure of Scollay lately removed. 
At the Hanover street end of the buildings, there was a watch box. 
until within fifty years, from which a guardian of the peace kept 
a watchful eye. Scollay's building was supposed to have been 
erected by Patrick Jeffrey, who came into possession in 1795. 

Green & Russell, one of the old printing houses of Boston, 
transacted business in an old building that stood on the site of 



348 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 



Scollay's, in 1755. Joseph Russell, one of the partners, carried 
on the business of an auctioneer, in which he was very successful, 
and became the owner of the property. William Vassall, a roj'al- 
ist refugee, in 1776, was the next proprietor, followed by Jeflrey. 
The Colonial Custom-house stood very near this locality in 1757, 
but its exact site is not known. 

The main thoroughfares on either side of the Scollay Buildings 
were Tremont Row and Court street, which, by the removal of the 




OLD SCOLLAV BUILDING. 

buildings, have mside these streets one, forming a large, handsome 
square, in Avhich is situated an ornamental station at the entrance 
to the subway. 

The view presented of the " Scollay Buildings " was made from 
a negative taken about 1865, and is probably the only picture in 
existence of it. 

There is no portion of Boston that presents a more animated or 
busy appearance than the Scollay square of to-day. 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 351 

6iIALL-POX CERTIFICATE. 

From its earliest settlemeDt Boston has been visited at frequent 
intervals by that deadly enemy of the human race, small-pox. The 
whites communicated it to the Indians, and in December, 1633, 
it made dreadful ravages among them, extending eastward to the 
Pascataqua, sweeping almost every native in its way. Chickatau- 
bat. Sagamore John and James died of it. Mr. Samuel Maverick, 
of Winesemet. buried about thirty in one day. It extended as far 
south as the Pequots, many of whom died. Among the great na- 
tion of the Xarragansetts as many as seven hundred died of it. In 
1721, Boston was visited by the small-pox with greater severity 



Boston, ccu^(h^ i'^ ijjS. 
'T'HESE Certify, that. 1 a^'-^'^^-i^ /rin^ liTA /te^S 

been fo fmoak'd and cleanfcd as that in our Opinion he 
may be permitted to pafs into the Country -without Danger of 
communicating the Small-Pox to any one. 



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than at any other time before. It wa.s on this occa.sion that inocu- 
lation was'first practised by D. Zabdiel Boylston, who stood forth 
and buffeted a storm which this practice called foith, the violence 
of which is hardlv conceivable in this age. In 1729 this scourge 
attain visited Boston. It was brought here in a vessel from Ire- 
land. About 4,000 had it, of which about -500 died, or one m 
every eight who were seized with it. In 1752 a ship was 'n-recked 
in Xahant bay : the crew were saved, and communicated the small- 



352 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

pox to the people on shore. 5059 were taken with the disease, of 
whom 452 died. The accompanying fac-simile of a certiticate of 
fumigation serves to show that our ancestors took such precaution 
as the knowledge of the time allowed them. 



THE MASSACHUSETTS MEDICAL COLLEGE. 

This engraving was reproduced from the New England Journal 
of Medicine and'Surgery, for April, 1816. The building is still 
standing on INIason street, and is now used for an engine house, 
the old front facing north. The follqwing account from the alwve 
journal describes the building as it appeared in 1816 : "The build- 
ino- is of brick, 88 feet in length and 43 in its greatest breadth. 
Its figure is oblong with a pediment in front, and an octagonal 
centre rising above the roof, and also forming a three-sided pro- 
jection in the rear of the building. This is surmounted l)y a dome 
with a skj'-light and a ballustrade, giving an appearance of ele- 
gance to the "neatness and fit proportion of the building. The 
apartments on the first floor are a spacious Medical Lecture room 
of a square form, with ascending semi-circular seats ; a large 
Chemical Lecture room in the centre, of an octagonal form, with 
ascending seats, a Chemical Laboratory, fitted up with furnaces 
and accommodation for the costly apparatus used in the lectures ; 
and a room to be occupied by the ^Massachusetts Medical Society. 
In the second story is the anatomical theatre, the most extensive 
room, occupying the whole central part of the building, covered 
with the dome and sky-light, with semi-circular seats which are 
entered from above and descend regularly towards the centre. A 
large and small room for practical anatomy, together with an- 
other for the museum, occupy the extremities of the same story." 
There then follows a description of a wonderful stove, invented 
by Mr. Jacob Perkins, for Ijurning Ehode Island coal, that warms 
the whole building. The stove which is situated in the cellar and 
surrounded with brick chambers, from which flues conduct rari- 
fied heat to all parts of the building. This is our modern furnace, 
and is one of the first accounts written of it. 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 357 

THE OLD COUET HOUSE AND CITY HALL. 

The County Court House here shown in two engravings was 
built in 1810 of granite aud cost $92,817,10. The main building 
was octagonal, with wings at each side. It was one hundred and 
forty feet long, and fifty-tiTe feet wide and the wings were 2G by 
40 "feet. It was occupied by the office of Probate, Registry of 
Deeds, and the County Courts. This building was early known 
as Johnson Hall, in honor of Isaac Johnson, one of Boston's 
earliest settlers. Tradition locates his house on the site of the old 
Court House. According to a desire expressed on his death l)ed, 
he was buried at the south west corner of the lot, aud the people 
exhiliited their attachment for him by ordering their bodies to be 
buried near his. The lot on which the City Hall stands was sold 
to the town in 1645. 

The name "Johnson Hall " does not seem to have been gener- 
ally adopted, for we find it more frequently spoken of as the 
"Court House." The engraving of "Johnson Hall, Court 
Square," was reproduced by the Photo-Electro tyjie Engraving 
process, from Snow's Boston, published in 1825, and our other 
view of the Court House, was reproduced by the same excellent 
process from the Polyanthos, a magazine published in Boston in 
1813. The latter view although published at an earlier date is 
very evidently of a later origin, from the pi'esence of the other 
buildings. The cut in Snow's Boston was probably made from 
an old drawing or engi'aving. In it, at the left, is shown the old 
Columbian Museum , which stood on the site of the present Mass- 
achusetts Historical Society building, and directly in front of the 
Museum is shown the old Chapel burial ground. 

The two story building at the left, in the Polyanthos view, was 
Barristers' Hall, and the small, one story building in the rear, was 
in the day of the volunteer tire department, " No. 7, Tiger Engine 
House." This was the "crack" volunteer company of Boston 
and numbered in its membership some of Boston's best citizens. 
Barristers' Hall stood on the site of the Franklin Statue now in 
front of the City Hall. The basement of the low building at the 
right was occupied as a paint shop. Barristers' Hall was built by 
John Lowell. 



358 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

FEDERAL STREET THEATRE. 

The Puritan spirit of our ancestors was transfused into the first 
and second generations which succeeded them, and nothing like 
the popular amusements of our day was countenanced by them. 
A third and fourth generation became, by degrees, a little more 
lax in manners and sentiments, and the fifth had so far thrown off 
I'estraint as to look upon balls and assemblies with some favor. 

The first attempt to establish a theatre here (1750) was followed 
by a law of the Province, prohibiting them under penalties. Dur- 
ino- the siege, the British officers entertained themselves with 
amusements of a theatrical character. From that time no trace 
of anything of the sort is found until 1789, when the newspapers 
contain intimations of a design to establish one. While the pro- 
hibitory law remained in force it was unsafe to proceed openly, 
and an eff"ort was made to repeal the act in 1792, which failed, and 
the expedient of exhibiting plays under the guise of Moral Lect- 
ures, was adopted in the fall of that year. A majority of the town 
had favored the petition for the repeal of the prohibitory laws, 
" as unconstitutional, inexpedient and absurd." The patronage ot 
the great moral show was so liberal, that the plan of building the 
Boston Theatre was soon carried into effect at the north-west cor- 
ner of Franklin and Federal streets, its site now being occupied 
by Jones, McDufTee & Stratton. It was opened February 3, 1794, 
with the tragedy of Gustavus Vasa. The first manager was Charles 
Stuart Powell. It was commonly known as the Federal Street 
Theatre, and for some time as the Old Drury, after Drury Lane, 
London. In 1798, it was destroyed by fire, leaving only the brick 
walls standing. It was soon rebuilt, however, and was opened in 
October of the same year. In 1800 the celebrated Mrs. Jones 
appeared here. Kean, Jlacready and the gifted Mrs. Rawsou 
gi'aced its stage at diff'erent times. On Kean's first appearance 
here in 1817 he met with a flattering reception, but on his second 
engagement in 1825, having refused to play to a thin house, he 
was driven from the stage amid jeers and a shower of projectiles. 
Henry J. Finn, then one of the managers, vainly endeavored to 
obtain a hearing for the tragedian, who stood before the audience 
in the most abject manner, a picture of rage and humiliation. A 
riotous crowd obtained admittance to the house and destroyed what 
they could of the interior. The discomfited Kean was compelled 
to seek safety in flight. 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON: 361 

About 1833 it was closed as a theatre and leased to the society 
of Free Inquirers. In 1834 the "Academy of Music" obtained 
possession, and the name was changed to the " Odeon." Relig- 
ious services were held on Sundays, by Rev. William M. Rogers' 
society, until the building of their church on Winter street. The 
stage was again cleared for theatrical perfoiinances in 1846-7. 
Lafayette visited the Boston Theatre on the last evening of his 
stay in 1824. An entire new front was erected on Federal street, 
in 1826, and an elegant saloon added with many interior improve- 
ments. About 1852 the theatre property was sold and a business 
stnicture erected, which was destroyed in the great fire of Novem- 
ber 9th, 1872, but which has since been rebuilt. 

Charles Bulfinch, famous as the architect of our State House, 
National Capitol and other public buildings, was the designer of 
the Boston Theatre. It Mas built of brick, was one hundred and 
forty feet long, sixty-one feet wide and forty feet high. An arcade 
projected from the front serving as a caiTiage entrance. The 
house had the appearance of two stories ; both the upper and lower 
were arched, with square windows, those of the second story being 
more lofty. Corinthian pilasters and columns decorated front and 
rear. Several independent outlets afforded ready egress. The 
main entrance was in front, where alighting under cover from their 
carnages, the company passed through an open saloon to the stair- 
cases leading to con-idors at the back of the l)oxes. The pit and 
gallery were entered from the sides. The interior was circular in 
form, the ceiling being composed of elliptical arches resting on 
Corinthian columns. There were three rows of boxes, the second 
suspended by invisible means. The stage was flanked by two 
columns, and across the opening were thrown a cornice and balus- 
trade ; over this were painted the arms of the United States and 
INIassachusetts, blended with historic emblems. From the arms 
depended the motto, " All the World's a Stage." 

The walls were painted azure, and the columns, front of the 
boxes, etc., straw and lilac color ; the balustrade, mouldings, etc., 
were gilt, and the second tier of boxes were hung with crimson 
silk. There was also a beautiful and spacious ball-room at the 
east end, handsomely decorated, with small retiring rooms. A 
cuisine, well furnished, was beneath. Such was the first play- 
house Boston ever had. The accompanying engraving was repro- 
duced from Snow's Boston, 1825. 



362 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

QUINCY MARKET. 

Quincy, or Faneuil Hall, Market was begun in 1824, the cornei 
stone laid in 1825, and was finished in November, 1826. North 
and South ilarket streets were laid out at the same time and are 
respectively sixty-five and one hundred and two feet wide. The 
difterence in the width of these streets, and in fact the position of 
the market itself, is due to the refusal of the heirs of Nathan Spear 
to part with their estate on any terms. By increasing the width 
of South ilarket street, the difficulty was overcome and the city 
took the estate with a clear legal conscience. Codman's, Spear's, 
Bray's and the wharves, extending between North Market and State 
streets towards the present line of Commercial street, were re- 
claimed in this great improvement, and Chatham street was laid out. 

As soon as North and South ^Market streets were laid out Ijuild- 
ing lots on both were sold with the stipulation that a substantial 
brick store of four stories, with stone front, conformably to a plan 
and specifications of particulars, should be built thereon, on or 
before the first of July, 1825, which accounts for the present row 
of fine stores now bordering on those streets. Each row, or block, 
measured 530 feet in length. 

This improvement by Josiah Quincy was the greatest enterprise 
of the kind ever undertaken in Boston. Although not an imme- 
diate pecuniary success, it soon became so, and is a monument to 
Mr. Quincy "s genius and perseverance. 

Mr. Quincy, in his History of Boston, says of this enterprise ; 
" A granite market house, two stories high, 535 feet long, cover- 
ing 27,000 feet of land, was erected at a cost of $150,000. Six 
new streets were opened, and a seventh greatly enlarged, including 
167,000 feet of land, and flats, docks and wharf rights obtained to 
the extent of 142,000 square feet. All this was accomplished in 
the centre of a populous city, not only without any tax, debt or 
burden upon its pecuniary resources, but with large permanent ad- 
ditions to its real and productive property." 

Our engraving was reproduced by the Photo-Electrotype En- 
graving Process from Snow's History of Boston, published 1825, 
which shows the water front within, probabl3% seventy-five feet of 
the market, where now (1882) there is a thousand feet by actual 
measurement to the water on Atlantic avenue, from which there 
project wharves fully another thousand feet. 



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BOSTON, 

Plymouth ^ Sandwich 
MAIL STAGE, 

COJVTIJVUES TO RU.Y AS FOLLOTVS : 

LEAVES Boston every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings 
at 5 o'clock, breakfast at Leonard's, Scituate ; dine at Bradford's, Plymouth ; 
and arrive in Sandwich the same evening. Leaves Sandwich every Mon- 
day, Wednesday and Friday mornings ; breakfast at Bradford's, Plymouth; 
dine at Leonard's, Scituate, and arrive in Boston the same evening. 

Passing through Dorchester, Quincy, Wyemouth, Hingham, Scituate, 
Hanover, Pembroke, Duxbury, Kingston, Plymouth to Sandwich. Fare^ 
from Boston to Scituate. I doll. 25 cts. From Boston to Plymouth, 2 dolls. 
50 ct^. From Boston to Sandwich, 3 dolls. 63 cts. 

N» B. Extra Carriages can be obtained of the proprietor's, at Boston and Plymouth, at short notice. — 
I^STAGE BOOKS kept at Boyden's Maricet-square, Boston, and at Fessendon's, Plymouth. 



LEONARD & WOODWARD. 



BOSTON, November 24, 1810. 



[Reproduced from a print in possession of the Bostonian Society.] 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTOJV. 3(J5 

THE FIRST RAILROADS OF BOSTON. 

The steam railroads were introduced into Boston at a time when 
its commercial interests were suffering, and the citizens were 
alarmed for her future as a commercial center. Up to the time 
of the Revolution Boston was the first town in the country in 
point of commercial importance, population and influence. New 
York, with her great canal enterprises, and her steamers making 
daily voyages to Providence, New Haven, the Connecticut river, 
and to ports on the Hudson and Long Island Sound, rapidly out- 
stripped Boston in the race. When the practicability of the rail- 
road was discovered and demonstrated in England, its introduction 
into Massachusetts was promptly urged and pressed by the citizens 
of Boston, as the solution of the problem by which successful 
competition with New York and the enlargement of the business 
and trade of the city could be best secured. The men of capital, 
however, were slow to recognize its advantages, but once firmly 
established, the great advantage of the railroad over the canal and 
other modes of travel of that day was recognized by all. 

The Lowell was the first organized of the Boston steam rail- 
roads, as well as the first upon which the work of construction was 
actually begun ; close behind it followed the Worcester and Prov- 
idence. In those days, however, when everything connected with 
construction had to be learned as the work went on, the pi-ogi'ess 
was not rapid. The only actual experience of any I'eal value to 
be obtained was that of the iManchester and Liverpool road in 
England. These roads were built by engineers that had never 
seen the English works. Twelve miles a year was considered 
rapid construction. Such distrust at these undertakings was felt 
that in January, 1833, Mr. Francis Stanton obtained the signatures 
of the holders of one thousand shares of the stock of the Boston 
and Worcester railroad to call a stockholder's meeting to consider 
the question of stopping the work and abandoning the enterprise. 
At last, however, in the spring of 1835, all the three lines ap- 
proached completion at about the same time. 

The first locomotive set in motion in Massachusetts was en the 
Boston and Worcester tracks, in the latter part of March, 1834. 
Eails were then laid as far as Newton, and the company delayed 
opening this section of the road to travel, only because it was 
compelled to wait the an-ival of an engine driver from England to 
take charge of the English-built locomotive. At last, on April 



366 AXTIQUE VIEWS OF liOSTOy. 

4th, a locomotive was actuall}' put to work on a gravel tram, and 
three days hiter, on the 7th, a part}^ of the directors aud their 
friends went on a trial trip as far as Davis' tavern in Newtou. On 
the 12th of jNIay there a[)peared in the "Daily Advertiser " and 
*' Patriot " the following new form of notice : — 

BOSTON AND WORCESTEU RAlt nOAD. 



THE Passcii;;or Cnrs "ill conlinue lo run Jallv from the 
Dnpat near Wasliingioii sircoi, Jo Newioii, al 6 niwl 
10 o'duck, A.M. and al 3^ o'clock, P. M. and 

neiuruing, leave Ncwion al 7 and a quarlcr pasl 11, A.M. 
and a qaaricr before 5, I'.M. 

Ticiicis for. ilio p.issage ciMier way may bo liad al me 
Ticket Office, No.G17, Wasliinglon street ; price 37A cents 
eacli ; and lor llie return passage, of the Masler of llie Cars, 
Wewton, 

Bv order of llie President and DireciorB. 

ah epistf F.A.WILLIAMS, Clerk. 

The regular passenger service began four days later, May 16th, 
1834. It consisted of the six trains specified in the advertise- 
ment. Thirty-five years later it was stated that the increase of 
travel was such that two passenger trains, carrying on an a\'erage 
three hundred persons, entered or left the city every five minutes 
of the fourteen active working hours each day. 

The Boston and Worcester depot was located at first near what 
is now known as " Indiana Place," between Washington aud Tre- 
mont streets. Mr. Harnden, the originator of the express business, 
was the first ticket master at this station. 

The Worcester railroad was opened to West Newton April 16th, 

1834, and through to Worcester July 3rd, 1835. Boston aud 
Lowell was opened June, 1834, and through to Lowell June 24th, 

1835. "Boston and Providence was opened June 4th, 1834, and 
through to Providence August, 1835. The INIaine was opened 
from Wilmington to Audover in 1836; to South Berwick, 1843. 
The Eastern comes next, in 1838, in which year it was opened to 
Salem ; George Peabody was the first president. The Old Colony 
began operating in November, 1845, the Fitchburg in 1845, and 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON^. 369 

the New York and New England in 1849, under the name of the 
Norfolk County road. It is a curious fact that every one of the 
eight railway stations in Boston stands on ground reclaimed from 
the sea. 

WORCESTER AND PROVIDENCE RAILROADS CROSSING THE MARSHES 
OF THE BACK BAY, 1840. 

The engraving shown here is a reproduction of the frontispiece 
of Barber's Historical Collections, and shows the appearance of 
Boston as seen from the south-west, near the intersection of the 
Providence and Worcester railroad crossinof. This engraving: is 

O DO 

considered especially valuable, as showing the great changes that 
have taken place in the Back Bay district during the past forty 
years. Nearly the whole bay was filled with gi-avel brought by 
these railroads. On this reclaimed land are now built the best 
residences in Boston, second to none in the country. 

EARLY HISTORY OF THE BOSTON FIEE DEPARTMENT. 

In all history we find gi-aphic descriptions of the ravages of fire. 
Human life has not been exempt from its destructive power. The 
splendid mansions of the rich and the humble domicile of the 
poor are all subject to its fury. The town of Boston has been the 
frequent scene of its terrifying operations. The first fire of any 
record occurred in March, 1631. Mr. Thomas Sharp's house 
caught fire and was destroyed, also the house of Deacon Colburn. 
The next fire burned the house of Wm. Cheesborough, in 1653. 
March 14th, 1653, the selectmen voted to provide forthwith "six 
good Long Ladders for ye town's use, to be hung on ye outside of 
ye meeting-houses and branded with ye town's mark." It was also 
ordered that every householder "shall provide a pole 12 feet long 
and a swab on ye end to reach ye top of his house in case of fire." 
In 1653, another fire occurred which destroyed several buildings 
in the heart of the town. Nov. 2, 1676, the town was thrown 
into great consternation by a fire which broke out in Mr. Wake- 
field's house, which was consumed with 46 dwelling houses and 
the North Meeting-house in Clark (now North) square. Many 
instances are recorded of fines for not having a pole and swab. 

Jan. 27th, 1679, the town received the first fire engine from 
England, and the selectmen passed the following order in regard 
to it : "In case of fire in ye town Thomas Atkins is desired and 



370 AXTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTOX. 

doth engage to take care of ye managing of ye s'd Ingine in ye 
■work intended and secure it from damage, and hath made choice 
of 12 men to assist in ye work." This engine was located in 
Queen (now Court) street. It M'as brought into service Aug. 8th, 
1G79, at a fire which raged until noon of the 9th, destroying 170 
buildings and several vessels. The loss was very heavy. In 
1683, a fire destroj'cd a large number of buildings on the south 
side of the draw-bridge near the dock. A great fire occurred on 
March 11th, 1702. The loss was immense. "Ye Ingine could 
do but little to oppose its progi'css. Henry Deering was this 
year appointed master of the Ingine, and ordered with his men to 
meet at the Ingine House on the last Monday of everj' month, at 
3 of the clock, to exercise themselves in the use ot said Ingine." 
In 1703, a pump was placed at the dock to be used in case of fii'e. 

In 1707, two engines were imported. One was placed at the 
Xorth End, the other at the dock. On Feb. 2^, 1709, the follow- 
ing vote was passed: "Whereas, the Water Engines being the 
goods and chattels of the town and under the care and direction 
thereof, M'ho are now informed that Mr. Sherifi* Dyer, without the 
knowledge of ye selectmen, hath appointed masters to the several 
Engines, — Ordered that said masters be forthwith dismist and ye 
selectmen appoint suitable persons to attend thereunto." 

Oct. 1, 1711, an extensive fire began in Williams Court, which 
demolished all the houses from School street to Cornhill and Dock 
Square. It burned the First Church, where Rogers Building now 
stands. The three engines were incessantly at work during the 
fire. On Jan. 1, 1712, Mr. James Pearson was appointed over- 
seer of the *• Persons Listed to attend ye Water Engines, and all 
Persons were ordered to attend to his directions in ye manage- 
ment of ye Engines," and the following month John Ballentine, 
Timothy Clai-k, John Greenough, Thomas Lee, Wm. Lander, 
Edward Winslow, Edward ^Martin, Stephen Minot, Samuel Green- 
wood and John Pollard were appointed to be Fire Wards for and 
within the town. This was the first Board of Fire Wards. They 
were men of high standing, and, seeing the importance of substi- 
tuting engines for the pail and swab, recommended the pui'chase 
of three more, which the town voted to do on Nov. 14th, 1714. 
They arrived in the latter part of the year 1715. One was placed 
at the side of the Old North Meeting-house, another at the Town 
House, and the third in Summer street. The following order was 



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ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 373 

given to the masters of engines and renewed each year until 1750 : 

" Ordered that Mr. have ye charge of ye AVater Engine at 

and is allowed 12 men, and in case he should want to put 

out or take in any man he shall give an account to ye selectmen 
and have their order for so doing." In 1736, Mr. B. Sutton noti- 
fied the selectmen that his engine wanted a new hose. This is the 
fii'st mention of hose upon the town records. In 1740, the fire- 
men were released from jury duty. About this time another 
engine was brought over from England. In 1747, a small copper 
engine was taken out of a Dutch ship wrecked on the coast. 

Faneuil Hall was destroyed by fire in 17(51. The most of the 
buildings in Williams Court wei'e again burned in 1763. Twenty 
houses were burned near the Mill Creek in 1767. Salem Street 
Meeting-house was burned in 1773. The Jail in Court street was 
burned in 1769. In 1775, the engines were placed under guard 
by the British General. In 1794, the square between Pearl, Milk. 
Atkinson and Purchase streets was laid in ashes. Ninety-six 
buildings were destroyed. The loss was over $200,000. 

The engines, until the year 1798, were designated by their 
place of deposit, or by their master's names. The selectmen 
numbered them arbitrarily, beginning at the North End. 

No. 1 was imported in the year 1707. 

No. 2 was given to the town by Gov. Hutchinson. 

No. 3 imported in 1715. No. 4 in 1707. No. 5 in 1715. 

No. 6 in 1740. No. 7 in 1679. 

No. 8 was taken out of a Dutch ship wrecked on the coast, 1747. 

No. 9 imported in 1715. No. 10 in 1772. 

No. 11 in 1776. No. 12 in 1796. 

The members of No. 7 of to-day (1882) are the lineal descend- 
ants of the first company organized in the country, and attached 
to the engine imported in the year 1679, and numbered 7 in 1798. 
The following are the names of the captains of this company from 
1679 to 1882, for a period of over 200 years : — Thomas Atkins, 
Ralph Carter, Henry Deering, "William Young, Bartholomue Sut- 
ton, Stephen Willis, John Blowers, Gersham Flagg, William Sut- 
ton, Joel Cushing, Edmond Ranger, Oliver Wiswell, Robert New, 
Jonathan Heath, Eben White, Seth Copeland, James Pierce, James 
Weld, I. Amary Davis, W. H. Tileston, W. G. Eaton, W. B. 
Swift, J. H. Blake, Thomas Williams, P, W. Hayward, Thomas 
Cassady, Jonathan Hager, W. S. Damrell, T. P. Foster, J. C. 



374 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 

Bartlett, Lewis Beck, John Ball, C. C. McClennon, S. B. Ken- 
dall, Josiah Snelling, W. C. Savage, D. L. M. Dwinell, C. C. 
Henry, Thomas Whipple, M. C. Thompson, J. Q. Alle3s A. A. 
J. Bartlett, G. L. Imbert, John Winniatt, D. T. Harden. 

The first fire engine made in Boston was built by David Wheeler, 
a blacksmith in Newbury (now Washington) street. It was tried 
at a fire August 21, 1765, and found to perform extremely well. 

Tiger engine No. 7, shown in our engraving, was built by Bisbee 
& Edwards of Boston, in 1835, and is reproduced from one of the 
earliest lithographs made in this city. 

THE OLD STATE HOUSE FIRE. 

This engraving is a reproduction from a plate made by Pendle- 
ton about 1835. The plate is still used by the Boston Fire De- 
partment for the purpose of printing certificates, diplomas, etc. 
The events connected with the fire are thus graphically described 
in the Daily Advertiser and Patriot, and also in the Columbia 
Centinel, of November 22, 1832 : "We are informed of a serious 
fire occurring on the previous day, in the building numbered 14 
and 16 State street, during which a canister of gunpowder ex- 
ploded and injured several persons. At about 6 o'clock the Chief 
Engineer called upon engine company No. 7 to play once more 
upon the timbers which had rekindled, and while thus emploj'ed, 
some of the members gave the word to turn the pipe upon the 
City Hall (Old State House), on the northern roof of which, under 
the sill of one of the Lutheran windows in the Land Commission- 
er's ofBce, the corner of which rested against a chimne}', a smoke 
and small flame was seen. The pipe could not be turned there, 
but was lowered down and the ladder shifted to City Hall. In the 
mean time, No. 11 had arrived on the ground and commenced 
playing. The fire was supposed to be only about the Commis- 
sioner's room, and to be extinguished, when the Engineei's ascer- 
tained that the interior of the roof nearly through the whole 
extent, between the ceiling of the upper rooms and the tower, 
between the circular staircase and the interior, was in flames. 
The alarm was then given and the Department again called to- 
gether, and after nearly three hours indefatigable labor the flames 
were arrested, after destroying the interior of the roof, excepting 
the largest timbers, and after insiduously working their way even 




THE OLD STATE HOUSE ^IRE. 



ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON. 377 

to the ball which supports the vane. The fire was fought step by 
step by the firemen, whose duty was exceedingly irksome and 
laborious, but they kept to their posts and worked like men. 
Some of them performed daring feats in their anxiety to save the 
property of their fellow citizens." 

The fireman seen on the dome is Charles H. Porter, and the one 
on the south-east corner of the building is Charles Stearns. Both 
are now living (1882) and remember the events connected with 
the fire quite distinctly. 

Before the introduction of the steam fire engine, much rivalry 
existed between the diflerent fire companies, which often resulted 
in serious trouble. Broad street was the scene of a great riot 
between the firemen and the Irish of which we give the following 
description : — 

THE GREAT RIOT EM BROAD STREET, BOSTON. 

On June 10th, 1837, there had been a large fire at Roxbury, 
from which No. 20 had returned and housed their engine. Some 
of the members had gone home, while others remained to see an 
Irish funeral procession pass. One of the members, who stood 
upon the pavement, was rudely pushed back upon the sidewalk 
by an Irishman, with the remark, "he had no business in the 
street." This was the origin of the riot. Some high words im- 
mediately ensued between the parties, and blows followed in quick 
succession ; the firemen gathered around their comrade ; the Irish 
rushed to the assistance of their friends. The firemen were at 
fii'st driven back to the engine house, when they again rallied and 
drove the Irish back to Sea street. The Irish immediately began 
to gather in lai'ge numbers, and making a rush upon the firemen 
drove them back to their engine house and also from the engine 
house, taking the engine out into the sti'eet, where they upset it. 

The Irish then formed their funeral procession, while the fire- 
men rallied their comrades, and, being joined by the members of 
No. 8, they returned to the conflict. The Irish then rushed to 
Robbins' wood-wharf and armed themselves with sticks of wood 
and liunps of coal, which they plied with some success. The 
news of the riot had now spread all over the city, and the firemen 
were hastening from all points to the assistance of their comrades. 
The Irish in the mean time had gained strength, and the excite- 
ment of the firemen was almost without bounds. The Irish were 



378 ANTIQUE VIEWS OF BOSTON, 

driven from the wharf, when a large body of them made a stand 
upon the open ground on the top of Fort Hill, where they hurled 
brickbats, stones and pieces of coal at the firemen for half an hour 
with great energy. A large body of firemen rushed upon them 
and drove them from this strong position into Broad street. The 
fight, which had become general, was kept up until seven o'clock 
in the evening, without intennission. 

The ranks of the Irish were gradually thinned by the arrest of 
some of their pi-ominent members, who were carried ofl' to jail 
amid loud shouts and yells. Finallj', the Irish gave up the con- 
test, just in time to save themselves from the bayonets of the mil- 
itary, several companies of which were ordered to the scene of 
strife. 

GREAT FIRE IN BOSTON. 

During the early part of the evening of Nov. 9th, 1872, a fearful 
fire broke out at the corner of Summer and Kingston streets, which 
proved to be one of the most disastrous fires that ever occurred in 
this city or on this continent. The flames spread with great rapid- 
ity, completely baffling all efibrts to subdue them on the part of 
the fii'emcn, and continued their course north and north-east into 
the most substantial buildings in the business districts, a large pro- 
portion of which were of solid granite, being used for the whole- 
sale business. Aid was summoned for and wide, and special trains 
bearing fire engines from distant cities were soon on hand. Build- 
ings were blown up, the gas cut ofl', leaving the panic-stricken city 
almost in darkness. The militia were ordered out to aid the police 
in preventing robbery and unbounded lawlessness that seemed at 
one time to be beyond control, adding much to the excitement and 
terrors of the time. When at last the fire was subdued, it was 
found that an area of over 63 acres had been burned, and property 
destroyed to the amount of one hundred millions of dollars, and 
many lives lost, leaving a smoking chaos of ruins, bounded by 
Summer, Washington, Milk and Broad streets. Although this 
calamity was a fearful blow to the business interests of Boston, 
entailing any amount of misery and distress, it however soon 
recovered from the shock, and with its usual pluck, refusing all 
profl'ered outside aid, has now covered the burnt district with 
some of the most imposing and substantial business warehouses, 
which are an ornament to the city. 




View of the Ruins after the GREAT FIRE in Boston, from a point opposite Trinity Church, Summer St. 



v~SOM Photocf(aph by 1, W. BLACK 



AUU 26 190? 




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